Delivering high-quality healthcare in today’s multicultural society requires that healthcare professionals are skilled in addressing cultural and religious differences in patient care. Despite this need, medical education often falls short in providing adequate cultural competence training, especially regarding care for Muslim patients. To address this gap, we developed an innovative educational program aimed at enhancing medical students’ intercultural skills, with a focus on caring for Muslim
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Written by Orhan Ersin Silik
Published in Vol 5 , 2025
Artificial intelligence (AI), including large language models (LLMs), holds significant promise for oncology, yet the extent of medical oncologists’ knowledge, attitudes, and ethical concerns regarding AI is not well understood. This issue is especially pertinent in Türkiye, home to roughly 1,340 practicing oncologists. We conducted an online, cross-sectional survey through the Turkish Society of Medical Oncology from October 16 to November 27, 2024. The questionnaire collected information on de
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Providing care for patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) often generates significant moral distress for healthcare professionals. Central to this distress is the ethical tension between enforcing treatment to prevent severe outcomes, such as premature death, and honoring patients’ refusals of care. Despite its relevance, empirical research on this moral conflict remains limited. We examined all 19 documented ethics consultations (ECs) related to AN from a single clinical ethics support service in
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Written by Afreen Jannath
Published in Vol 5 , 2025
Throughout history, epidemics have often been accompanied by stigma, prejudice, and xenophobic attitudes. This scoping review sought to examine and map the existing literature on ethical considerations related to monkeypox (mpox) and to identify gaps in research regarding stigma associated with the disease. A thorough search was conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed Central, PubMed Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Ovid, and Google Scholar, covering the period from May 6, 2022, to
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Written by Delyse Leadbeatter
Published in Vol 5 , 2025
Around the world, the use of genetic test results in insurance underwriting has raised serious concerns, leading many countries to restrict or ban the practice. In contrast, Australian life insurers are legally permitted to consider genetic information, under rules set by the industry itself through the Financial Services Council (FSC). A 2018 Parliamentary Inquiry recommended prohibiting this practice, and in 2019 the FSC responded with a self-imposed moratorium. Because there is no government
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Written by Anna S. Nazzal
Published in Vol 5 , 2025
Understanding patient rights is essential for promoting ethical medical practice and upholding human rights in healthcare. Previous research indicates that patients’ awareness of their rights varies widely. This study aimed to evaluate the level of awareness of patient rights among individuals in Palestine and to examine healthcare professionals’ adherence to these rights. A cross-sectional survey was carried out from November 2023 to January 2024 across cities in the Northern West Bank. Data we
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Written by Sarah Tutticci
Published in Vol 5 , 2025
Globally, healthcare is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, intensifying the ongoing climate emergency. While strategies to cut emissions are being introduced across health systems, the degree to which environmental sustainability should influence clinical decision-making at the level of individual practitioners remains uncertain. To investigate this question, we carried out a systematic review of published arguments both supporting and opposing the integration of environmental considera
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Written by Triantafillos Smith
Published in Vol 5 , 2025
This article critically examines the ethical dilemmas that arise when physicians publicly comment on high-profile medical cases, illustrated through recent cancer diagnoses in the British royal family. It explores the competing demands of societal interest, individual privacy, and professional ethical obligations, emphasizing the risks posed by speculative or conjectural statements. The discussion also highlights how medical professionals can contribute responsibly to public understanding of hea
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Written by Vanessa Machado
Published in Vol 5 , 2025
People living with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) constitute a small yet highly vulnerable group within mental health care. Their care raises complex ethical challenges due to factors such as the intensity of their conditions, limited social support, communication difficulties, impaired decision-making, and, occasionally, disruptive behaviors. Despite these challenges, research on ethical issues in this population remains limited. This study explores the ethical considerations invol
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