Becoming Inclusive: Actionable Steps to Diversify the Field of Clinical Ethics.

At the 2022 Clinical Ethics Unconference, the authors perceived a significant lack of racial and ethnic diversity, which was consistent with their experiences in other clinical ethics settings. As a result, they convened a working group to address the pervasive lack of diversity present in the field of clinical ethics and to propose strategies to increase the representation of people from racial and ethnic minority populations. This article identifies the harms associated with the lack of diversity in the healthcare setting and translates these to the field of clinical ethics. The article then proposes a framework that may be used to help diversify the field of clinical ethics. Specifically, the authors identify existing barriers to appropriate diversity, actionable steps to increase diversity, and tools the field can utilize to systematically assess its progress with respect to achieving diversity.

Increased anxiety symptoms in pediatric type 1 diabetes during the acute phase of COVID-19 lockdown.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of mental health issues has increased at an alarming rate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, an exacerbated psychosocial burden in populations with chronic disease is observed. This cross-sectional study evaluated the psychosocial factors of pediatric type 1 diabetes (T1D) during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: During April 2020, 15 min phone interviews were performed for pediatric T1D group (n=100) and healthy comparison group (n=93) to assess psychosocial functioning during the acute lockdown phase of the pandemic. The patient health questionnaire-4 was utilized to assess anxiety and depressive symptoms. An additional questionnaire to assess specific concerns related to T1D and COVID-19 was administered to the T1D group to explore potential causes for increased psychosocial burden. RESULTS: T1D was associated with a five-times higher risk of anxiety symptoms. Increased anxiety symptoms in T1D group appear to be, at least in part, due to fear of higher risk of severe COVID-19 infection and uncertainty regarding access to diabetes supplies. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a snapshot of mental well-being in a diverse population of patients with T1D in the acute phase of a crisis and underscores the need for timely, accurate medical information and distribution of medical resources for pediatric T1D population.