scholarly journals Ethical issues in geriatric cranial neurosurgery

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. E3
Author(s):  
Laureen D. Hachem ◽  
Mark Bernstein

The global demographic shift to an older population has led to the emergence of the new field of geriatric neurosurgery. Beyond the complexities of disease states and multimorbidity, advanced age brings with it intricate ethical issues pertaining to both the practice and provision of medical and surgical care. In this paper, the authors describe the central ethical themes seen across the spectrum of common neurosurgical conditions in the elderly and highlight the use of foundational ethical principles to help guide treatment decision-making.

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 156-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosalind J McDougall

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being developed for use in medicine, including for diagnosis and in treatment decision making. The use of AI in medical treatment raises many ethical issues that are yet to be explored in depth by bioethicists. In this paper, I focus specifically on the relationship between the ethical ideal of shared decision making and AI systems that generate treatment recommendations, using the example of IBM’s Watson for Oncology. I argue that use of this type of system creates both important risks and significant opportunities for promoting shared decision making. If value judgements are fixed and covert in AI systems, then we risk a shift back to more paternalistic medical care. However, if designed and used in an ethically informed way, AI could offer a potentially powerful way of supporting shared decision making. It could be used to incorporate explicit value reflection, promoting patient autonomy. In the context of medical treatment, we need value-flexible AI that can both respond to the values and treatment goals of individual patients and support clinicians to engage in shared decision making.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (3S) ◽  
pp. e18s-e23s ◽  
Author(s):  
Rena M. Conti ◽  
Meredith B. Rosenthal ◽  
Blase N. Polite ◽  
Peter B. Bach ◽  
Ya-Chen Tina Shih

As calls for improving the quality and cost efficiency of oncology increase, future empirical work is needed to examine the responsiveness of oncologists' treatment decision making to incentives among patients of all ages and insurance types.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Shruthi Ashwin Sridhar ◽  
Shruthi Ashwin Sridhar ◽  
Husam Ebied

Ureteric herniation through a diaphragmatic defect in adults (Bochdalek hernia – BH) is rare, with less than 15 cases reported in the literature. Most patients present with non-specific abdominal symptoms with or without worsening of renal function, and therefore, the clinical picture can be masked [1]. Management of ureteric involvement ranges from conservative to reconstructive surgery. We report a case of an elderly (>80-year-old) patient who presented acutely with symptoms mimicking an acute abdomen and on imaging was found to have a BH associated with herniation of right ureter causing hydro-ureter. We managed the patient conservatively, and she improved symptomatically, which was evident from her follow-ups. We provide a detailed case report of this situation as well as discuss the literature on the topic to guide treatment decision-making.


Author(s):  
Andrea Horwege ◽  
Thomas Hammek ◽  
Anita Sue Jwa ◽  
Allyson C. Rosen

During the past few decades, there has been tremendous progress in the diagnosis and treatment of cognitive disorders. With these opportunities to advance diagnosis and care, there are new ethical and practical concerns. This chapter provides a general overview of ethical issues related to patients with diminished cognitive functioning. It describes essential concepts and issues that clinicians must know, such as treatment decision-making, limitations on independence, protection from harm, and interpretive issues surrounding effort testing. It then describes ethical issues related to clinical research, such as informed consent and assent for research participation, and considerations when conducting clinical trials. Finally, the chapter describes some issues surrounding neuroethics, such as preparing for and dealing with incidental findings, early detection of disorders, neuroenhancement, and the use of deception.


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