Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University: Open Journal Systems
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The Physician-Patient Relationship in Light of Fetal Homicide Laws
Get PDFAfter several cases in which pregnant women were forced to undergo cesarean sections under court order or where court orders were sought for cesarean sections, the medical community reaffirmed the principle of autonomy for pregnant women. Women are allowed to refuse care during pregnancy, even if that means harm to the fetus. In addition, it is inappropriate for medical personnel to seek legal assistance in forcing a woman to accept treatment. This article presents a case in which the medical community upheld the woman’s right to refuse care; however, the legal community then charged her with criminal homicide under the state’s fetal homicide law because the baby was stillborn after the patient delayed in obtaining a cesarean section. The differences between medical guidelines and state law must be addressed so that the patient’s autonomy is upheld and so that patients may be informed of all consequences, medical and otherwise, of refusing treatment.
Clinical-Pathological Conference Hemoptysis and Abdominal Pain in a 74 Year Old Man
Get PDFA 74 year old male was admitted to the hospital surgical service because of abdominal pain.
Opportunities for Cross-Cultural Medical Education
No full textCross-cultural medical education is a timely topic in undergraduate medical education. The National Institute of Medicine, mandated by Congress, produced a report that examined a wide body of existing medical research and found compelling evidence of health-care disparities between minority and nonminority patients. The increasing awareness on the part of the medical community of the effect of race and ethnicity on health outcomes has provided some of the impetus for mandating the inclusion of cultural diversity and cross-cultural communication in medical education (Flores, 2000; US Bureau of the Census, 1998; Betancourt et al., 2000; Carrillo et al., 1999). The growing use of alternative health practices and complementary medicine among the general population as well as in specific groups also indicates the need for eliciting culturally competent medical histories (Adler and Fosket, 1999). Physicians increasingly encounter patients of diverse racial, ethnic, linguistic, and religious backgrounds, making effective cross-cultural communication skills essential. The need for training in cultural competence has been embraced by the Association of American Medical Colleges and other regulatory and accrediting bodies and is currently a requirement for medical schools. As the United States population becomes more diverse, racially and ethnically, demographic differences between physicians and patients increase, and the medical profession itself becomes more diverse, cross-cultural medical training takes on greater significance.
