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Medical Ethics

Physician responsibility extends beyond medical knowledge and implementation of evidence-based best practices; it includes understanding and conforming to a moral code of conduct initially articulated in Western medicine in the Hippocratic Oath. RAND research on medical ethics encompasses global complexities such as health disparities and health financing, as well as technology-fueled issues like cloning and end-of-life care.

Journal Article
Advancing Research in Child Suicide: A Call to Action
This paper highlights the problem of child suicide, summarizes what is known and not known about the problem in the empirical literature, and provides recommendations with ethical considerations for future research and practice.
Jun 22, 2022
Journal Article
Individual, Interpersonal, and Health Care Factors Associated with Informal and Formal Advance Care Planning in a Nationally-Representative Sample of Midlife and Older Adults
This paper examines correlates of advance care planning among midlife and older adults in the U.S., with attention to informal planning (e.g., conversations) and formal planning (e.g., legal documentation) and factors at the individual, interpersonal, and health care levels.
Mar 31, 2021
Journal Article
Ethics Consultations Related to Opioid Use Disorder
The aim of this study was to characterize ethics consult questions among inpatients with opioid use disorder at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Sep 3, 2020
Journal Article
Negotiating the 'Buffet' of Choice: Advances in Technology and End-of-Life Decision-Making in the Intensive Care Unit Setting
This article explores medical decision-making in the setting of the intensive care unit (ICU) drawing on ethnographic data of ICUs as well as interviews with family members of critically ill patients as and clinicians.
Sep 3, 2020
Journal Article
Return of Value in the New Era of Biomedical Research: One Size Will Not Fit All
Determining appropriate return of value in biomedical research will entail finding the point of equilibrium between feasibility and usefulness.
Nov 21, 2019
Report
Ethics in Scientific Research
An analysis of how ethics are created, monitored, and enforced finds which ethical principles are common across scientific disciplines, how these ethics might vary geographically, and how emerging topics are shaping future ethics.
Jun 5, 2019
Commentary
Ethics of Germline Editing Must Keep Up with Technology
Mainstream interest in genome editing is now surging. If this research is to go forward, the science should be well understood by those conducting the research. Best practices and the highest scientific standards should be employed to limit risks and prevent unintended consequences.
Jan 10, 2019
Commentary
CONSORT-SPI 2018: Announcing an Extension for Randomized Controlled Trials of Social and Psychological Interventions
Complete and transparent reporting of randomized controlled trials is integral for replication, critical appraisal and understanding context. A new extension of the CONSORT Statement aims to improve the reporting of randomized controlled trials of social and psychological interventions.
Aug 2, 2018
Journal Article
HIV, Breast Cancer and Vaccines: What Do High-Profile Cases Reveal About Stakeholder Engagement in Research?
Four examples of engaging stakeholders in health care related research provide insight for current efforts and show that clear articulation on the purpose of engagement can affect how stakeholders are included and lead to better outcomes.
Sep 22, 2016
Journal Article
From Subject to Participant: Ethics and the Evolving Role of Community in Health Research
The shift in ethical focus from subject to participant will pose new ethical dilemmas for community-engaged investigators and for other constituents interested in increasing community involvement in health research.
Mar 24, 2015
Journal Article
Antipsychotic Prescribing: Do Conflict of Interest Policies Make a Difference?
Psychiatrists exposed to strict conflict of interest policies prescribed heavily promoted antipsychotics at rates similar to academic psychiatrists and nonacademic psychiatrists exposed to less strict or no policies.
Mar 24, 2015
Report
Regulatory cultures and research governance
This is a comparative study of the practice of those who are subject to regulatory requirements in the health research, medical drugs, environmental and financial sectors conducted to assist understanding of health research governance in the UK.
Mar 1, 2013
Research Brief
Guiding good research: Key findings from a review of biomedical research ethics
This research brief summarises the key findings from a review of biomedical research ethics.
Oct 12, 2012
Journal Article
Circumcisions Performed in U.S. Community Hospitals, 2009
Although circumcisions may be performed for cultural or religious reasons, there has been debate over the ethics and medical necessity of this procedure.
Feb 1, 2012
Journal Article
Clinical Decision Support and Malpractice Risk
Clinical decision support (CDS) refers to electronic technology used to enhance clinical decision making. The basic challenge for policymakers interested in promoting adoption of CDS is to ensure that liability concerns do not derail the clinical value of new CDS technology.
Jul 1, 2011
Journal Article
Bridging the Gap Between Basic Science and Clinical Practice: A Role for Community Clinicians
A paradigm shift involving acknowledgement of the value of clinicians in the context of community research, establishment of a stable infrastructure to support a cohort of clinicians across time and research studies, and realignment of incentives to encourage participation in clinical research is required.
Apr 6, 2011
Journal Article
Bridging the Gap Between Basic Science and Clinical Practice: The Role of Organizations in Addressing Clinician Barriers
This paper identifies several approaches that healthcare organizations can use to overcome barriers to clinician participation in research studies.
Apr 4, 2011
Research Brief
Does Improved Patient Safety Reduce Malpractice Litigation?
Investigates the relationship between safety outcomes in hospitals and malpractice claiming against providers, using data for California hospitals and insurers from 2001 through 2005.
Apr 7, 2010
Report
Guiding Good Research: Biomedical Research Ethics and Ethics Review: Observatory on Health Research Systems
An overview of ethics and ethical reviews in biomedical research that briefs non-specialists on aspects of the evolution and current debate of biomedical research ethics and assessment of proposed research by ethics committees or review boards.
Jan 28, 2008
Research Brief
State Insurance Mandates and Consumer-Directed Health Plans: Are They Helping Small Business Provide Health Insurance to Employees?
This research brief describes the effects of state health-insurance mandates and consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) on the access to and affordability of health insurance for small businesses.
Dec 5, 2007

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Ian D. Coulter

Senior Health Policy Researcher

Ian Coulter is codirector of the RAND Center for Collaborative Research in Complemntary and Integrative Health, a senior health policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, professor emeritus at UCLA, and research professor at the Southern California University of Health Sciences. He has more than…
Sandra H. Berry

Senior Behavioral Scientist

Sandra Berry is an adjunct behavioral and social scientist at the RAND Corporation and senior director of the Survey Research Group. She teaches courses on research design and methods for the Clinical Scholars Program at UCLA. She is a member of RAND’s Human Subjects Protection Committee which…

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