Guest Post by Lindy Willmott and Ben White For decades, researchers from around the world have found evidence that doctors provide futile treatment to adult patients who are dying. Some discussion of this topic has turned on matters of definition (see our recent contribution to this debate), with a broader concept of “perceived inappropriate treatment” […]
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Individualised and Personalised QALYs in Exceptional Treatment Decisions
Guest Post by Warwick Heale When NICE decides whether to make a treatment available on the NHS it considers both clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness. Cost effectiveness is based on population-level QALY data, as is appropriate for a population-level policy. However, this can cause problems for exceptional individual patients. When a doctor wants to offer an […]
JOB: Teaching Fellow, UCL (0.4 FTE)
James Wilson has drawn my attention to this opportunity, which may be of interest to those working in public health ethics. Further Particulars This post is a Teaching Fellowship which, in the first instance, will start on 15 September 2016 and run until 14 September 2017. The successful candidate will be expected primarily to provide […]
In Praise of Ambivalence: “Young” Feminism, Gender Identity, and Free Speech
By Brian D. Earp (@briandavidearp) * Note: this article was first published online at Quillette magazine. Introduction Alice Dreger, the historian of science, sex researcher, activist, and author of a much-discussed book of last year, has recently called attention to the loss of ambivalence as an acceptable attitude in contemporary politics and beyond. “Once upon a time,” she writes, “we […]
Event: Courting Controversy?
This might be of interest to some readers: Courting Controversy? Recent Developments in Health Care Law 21 July 2016 Chancellors Hotel, Chancellors Way, Moseley Road, Fallowfield, Manchester M14 6NN This afternoon seminar examines some controversial recent developments in health care law and introduces two new books on law and medicine: Margaret Brazier and Emma Cave Medicine, […]
CFA/ Registration: Postgraduate Bioethics, 2016
“Oi, Iain,” says David. “Could you put a shout out for the Postgraduate Ethics Conference?” Indeed I could. The theme is “Bioethics in Theory: Bioethics in Practice”. Details – including the call for abstracts (the deadline for which is the 8th July) and the registration form – are here. […]
IAB 2016: Graeme Didn’t Say “None”…
Every two years, I write a little post-mortem of the IAB conference, mentioning particular high and low points. But since I’ve heard near-blanket praise for this year’s Edinburgh fandango, there won’t be too many of the latter. And everyone with whom I’ve been in contact since has been highly impressed; we’re all still on a bit […]
There’s Argument, and there’s Disputation.
Very well, then: let’s allow that the quality of argument in bioethics – and clinical ethics in particular – is not of high quality. What should be done about it? That’s a hard question, though it’s predictable and wholly justifiable that it should be asked. And, to be honest, I don’t know offhand. I might […]
Writers Whose Expertise is Deplorably Low
Something popped up on my twitter feed the other day: this document from Oxford’s philosophy department. (I’m not sure quite what it is. Brochure? In-house magazine? Dunno. It doesn’t really matter, though.) In it, there’s a striking passage from Jeff McMahan’s piece on practical ethics: Even though what is variously referred to as ‘practical ethics’ or […]
Special “Editor’s Choice” Issue of the Journal of Medical Ethics Now Online
by Brian D. Earp / (@briandavidearp) On behalf of the Journal of Medical Ethics, I am excited to announce the publication of a special “Editor’s Choice” issue, now online at the journal website. In a rare turn for the journal, the entire issue made up of “Editor’s Choice” papers, with invited (peer-reviewed) papers from both up-and-coming and established […]