AMA Journal of Ethics

Formerly Virtual Mentor

Illuminating the art of medicine

AMA Journal of Ethics

Formerly Virtual Mentor

Illuminating the art of medicine

AMA Journal of Ethics. February 2016

This month in Journal of Ethics

Liver Transplant Ethics: From Donation to Allocation

Transplant specialists face two critical paradoxes. First, their success has spurred demand for their services and expertise, yet the supply of organs is scarce. Second, to help their patients, physicians need a voluntary sacrifice from another human being. In this issue of the AMA Journal of Ethics, we illuminate key concepts professionals and patients in transplant medicine: consent, extended criteria organs, regulatory oversight, and donor incentives. Authors in this issue are transplant ethicists and clinicians grappling with ethical questions and possibilities at the boundaries of surgical knowledge.

Ethical Dimensions of First-Person Consent to Donate Organs Commentary by Stuart J. Youngner, MD

Despite clear donor consent, health professionals must communicate clearly about death to family members to avoid confusion.

Ethical Considerations of Transplantation and Living Donation for Patients with Alcoholic Liver Diseases Ajay Singhvi, MD, Alexandra N. Welch, Josh Levitsky, MD, Deepti Singhvi, MD, and Elisa J. Gordon, PhD, MPH Equal access is a goal even when patients present with taboo illnesses. But, the date of a patient’s last drink still matters.

How Ought Physicians to Respond to Indecisive Prospective Transplant Patients in Cases of Compromised Organ Quality? Commentary by Andy A. Tully, MD, Geraldine C. Diaz, DO, and John F. Renz, MD, PhD Respecting a patient’s autonomy does not rule out guiding the patient’s perceptions of risk.

Optimizing Deceased Liver Donation via Technology and Policy Katrina A. Bramstedt, PhD, MA, and Jean-Baptiste Hoang

Some technological and policy strategies for increasing organ supplies are ethically and legally proven to work, and should be promoted worldwide.

Upcoming Issues

March Bed to Bench: Medicine and the Law

April Medicine and Disability

May Medical Ethics Consultations

June Ethics and Mental Health

July Ethics of International Health Systems Development

August Ethical Issues in Pathology