‘There’s A Sense Of Relief. There’s A Sense Of Release’: AMA To Mull Aid-In-Dying Ethics Code
“The mere fact that they're considering it again tells you that it's a changing climate,” said Art Caplan, a professor of bioethics and head of the division of medical ethics at New York University School of Medicine. “The reality is there are many more doctors in the AMA, but also outside the AMA, who have changed their minds about this.”
The Washington Post:
The American Medical Association Has Long Opposed Assisted Suicide. Is That About To Change?
During his three decades as an emergency-room doctor, Bob Uslander had never written a prescription for a lethal dose of medication. But then he shifted to geriatric and palliative care, and in 2016, a patient suffering from the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) wanted to use California's new physician-assisted death law. Uslander was apprehensive. Until then, he had always viewed death as a failure. (Bever, 6/10)
In other public health news —
San Francisco Chronicle:
Concussion Study By UCSF Professor Identifies ‘Public Health Crisis’
Many health care professionals believe that concussion patients don’t need or cannot benefit from subsequent visits and treatment. Manley’s study, published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open, found just the opposite. (Rubenstein and Ma, 6/9)
The Desert Sun:
Experts Urge Pool Safety To Prevent Childhood Drowning In California
As summer inches closer and the thermometers continue to creep up, there’s a good chance everyone, including families with kids, will be spending more time around swimming pools, the beach and other places to swim. Drowning prevention and health experts are urging adults to remain vigilant about pool safety to avoid tragedy. Drowning is the leading injury-related cause of death in California for kids under age 5. In 2016, 45 children age five or younger drowned across California, down from a recent high of 60 in 2013, and way down from the 1980s when backyard pools became popular, according to the state department of developmental services. (Kennedy, 6/8)
The Washington Post:
Rapid Sequencing Of Babies’ Genes May Save Lives
The story of Maverick Coltrin’s medical mystery is gripping: Last October, he was just 6 days old when he stopped eating. Then the seizures came. His tiny arms and legs would stiffen for a few seconds as many as 30 times per hour. Doctors at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego tried multiple tests and medications, but nothing revealed what was wrong. When Maverick turned dusty blue, his parents asked, “Do you think he’s going to survive?” The answer: “We’re doing everything we can.” (Richards, 6/10)