Afghan health workers should be allowed home to treat people

Should the patient be allowed to die?

In considering the patient's right to a certain quality of dying, this essay outlines how the legal and ethical justifications for passive euthanasia depend on the doctrine of acts and omissions. It is suggested that this doctrine is untenable and that alternative justifications are needed. The development of the modern mechanistic approach to death is traced, showing that a possible basis for ...

Should a hunger-striking prisoner be allowed to die?

Should physicians be allowed to use alcohol while on call?

Although physician alcohol use that leads to impairment has been extensively discussed, few statements address the issue of alcohol use of physicians who are on call. In this paper the authors review recent information on physicians' perceptions of alcohol use by themselves and their colleagues while on call. It is argued that conflicts in physicians' perceptions are due to the fact that the la...

Should antihistamines be used to treat anaphylaxis?

Unsurprisingly, a recent comparison of important international guidelines found conflicting advice about antihistamines, reflecting the uncertainty in international clinical practice: a US guideline recommends the use of diphenhydramine as second line treatment in anaphylaxis; evidence for this recommendation is graded as "expert opinion/ extrapolated from higher order evidence. DRUG INFORMATIO...

When should patients be allowed to drive after ICD implantation?