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BACKGROUND: Spirituality is an important component of recovery for many individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). However, few studies have compared patient and physician attitudes on spirituality in SUD recovery. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates patient and physician beliefs about the role of spirituality in SUD recovery and about discussing spirituality in relationship to recovery in primary care settings. DESIGN: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with primary care physicians recruited at two academic hospitals, and patients recruited from a faith-based residential therapeutic community. Interview transcripts were independently coded by two researchers and a grounded theory approach was used to generate themes that reflected participants' experiences. KEY RESULTS: Interviews were conducted with 15 patients and 10 physicians. Patients had diverse views about the impact of spirituality on their SUD recovery, including positive, negative, and neutral. Patient and physician opinions on discussing spirituality in a primary care setting differed: most physicians felt positively towards this, believing that understanding their patients' spirituality helped them care for their patients as whole people. Many patients felt neutral, stating that they did not feel like these conversations were necessary for their care, and that they believed physicians preferred not to discuss spirituality in medical settings. Tolerance from both the patient and physician, open-ended questioning, and an individualized approach were identified as facilitators to effective discussions about spirituality and recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Spirituality can have diverse effects on an individual's SUD recovery. Physicians endorsed the benefits of discussing spirituality in the context of their patients' recovery, while patients expressed reservations about engaging in these conversations with their physicians. This variation in perspectives highlights the need for additional research to understand the individual and structural factors that contribute to it, as well as best practices for engaging in effective, non-judgmental conversations about spirituality in recovery.
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BACKGROUND: HIV molecular epidemiology (HIV ME) can support the early detection of emerging clusters of new HIV infections by combining HIV sequence data routinely obtained during the clinical treatment of people living with HIV with behavioral, geographic, and sociodemographic information. While information about emerging clusters promises to facilitate HIV prevention and treatment efforts, the use of this data also raises several ethical concerns. We sought to assess how those working on the frontlines of HIV ME, specifically public health practitioners (PHPs) and researchers, prioritized these issues. METHODS: Ethical issues were identified through literature review, qualitative in-depth interviews, and stakeholder engagement. PHPs and researchers using HIV ME prioritized the issues using best-worst scaling (BWS). A balanced incomplete block design was used to generate 11 choice tasks each consisting of a sub-set of 5 ethical concerns. In each task, respondents were asked to assess the most and least concerning issue. Data were analyzed using conditional logit, with a Swait-Louviere test of poolability. Latent class analysis was then used to explore preference heterogeneity. RESULTS: In total, 57 respondents completed the BWS experiment May-June 2023 with the Swait-Louviere test indicating that researchers and PHPs could be pooled (p = 0.512). Latent class analysis identified two classes, those highlighting "Harms" (n = 29) (prioritizing concerns about potential risk of legal prosecution, individual harm, and group stigma) and those highlighting "Utility" (n = 28) (prioritizing concerns about limited evidence, resource allocation, non-disclosure of data use for HIV ME, and the potential to infer the directionality of HIV transmission). There were no differences in the characteristics of members across classes. CONCLUSIONS: The ethical issues of HIV ME vary in importance among stakeholders, reflecting different perspectives on the potential impact and usefulness of the data. Knowing these differences exist can directly inform the focus of future deliberations about the policies and practices of HIV ME in the United States.
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Infecciones por VIH , Epidemiología Molecular , Humanos , Infecciones por VIH/epidemiología , Masculino , Femenino , Investigadores/psicología , Investigadores/ética , Adulto , Salud Pública/ética , Persona de Mediana Edad , Investigación CualitativaRESUMEN
Several genetic variants linked to COVID-19 have been identified by host genomics researchers. Further advances in this research will likely play a role in the clinical management and public health control of future infectious disease outbreaks. The implementation of genetic testing to identify host genomic risk factors associated with infectious diseases raises several ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSIs). As an important stakeholder group, health professionals can provide key insights into these ELSI issues. In 2021, a cross-sectional online survey was fielded to US health professionals. The survey explored how they view the value and ethical acceptability of using COVID-19 host genomic information in three main decision-making settings: (1) clinical, (2) public health, and (3) workforce. The survey also assessed participants' personal and professional experience with genomics and infectious diseases and collected key demographic data. A total of 603 participants completed the survey. A majority (84%) of participants agreed that it is ethically acceptable to use host genomics to make decisions about clinical care and 73% agreed that genetic screening has an important role to play in the public health control of COVID-19. However, more than 90% disagreed that it is ethically acceptable to use host genomics to deny resources or admission to individuals when hospital resources are scarce. Understanding stakeholder perspectives and anticipating ELSI issues will help inform policies for hospitals and public health departments to evaluate and perhaps adopt host genomic technologies in an ethically and socially responsible manner during future infectious disease outbreaks.
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COVID-19 , Enfermedades Transmisibles , Humanos , Salud Pública , COVID-19/epidemiología , Estudios Transversales , GenómicaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: HIV molecular epidemiology (HIV-ME) is now being used in a variety of ways, including molecular HIV surveillance to help identify and respond to emerging HIV transmission clusters as specified in the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative. However, HIV-ME in general, and its use for cluster detection and response, in particular, raises significant ethical and social concerns, which have spurred vigorous debates. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of information regarding how these potential benefits and concerns are perceived among people living with HIV and people without HIV at an increased risk. SETTING: Virtual engagement with US participants. METHODS: We rigorously developed a brief informational video about HIV-ME and conducted a series of in-depth interviews with people living with HIV and people without HIV at an increased risk. RESULTS: Through extensive stakeholder engagement during the video development process and subsequent in-depth interviews (N = 24), several preliminary findings surfaced. In contrast to the high level of concern raised by some critics of HIV-ME, our data appear to show broad support for it. In addition, we observed conflation of perspectives about HIV-ME with concerns about HIV public health surveillance more generally. CONCLUSION: Our experiences reveal substantial communication challenges related to the nature of HIV-ME that need to be overcome to ensure that it is properly understood, which is necessary for meaningfully engaging stakeholders in discussions about its use. Moreover, ongoing, responsive, engagement efforts are critical. Additional systematic data are needed to help inform policy making and practice regarding HIV-ME.
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Infecciones por VIH , VIH , Humanos , VIH/genética , Infecciones por VIH/epidemiología , Epidemiología Molecular , Vigilancia en Salud Pública , ComunicaciónRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Routine prenatal screening ultrasounds primarily serve to diagnose major fetal anomalies which may prompt further testing and inform clinical decision-making, including possible pregnancy termination. Meanwhile, expectant parents may view the ultrasound experience and information gained differently from their clinicians. In this setting, how to best counsel patients, especially regarding the increasing findings of indeterminant clinical significance, is unclear. Greater understanding of women's views before undergoing their ultrasound may help to guide anticipatory counseling about the purpose of screening and interpretation of results. METHODS: We surveyed 289 patients presenting for scheduled prenatal ultrasounds at an academic tertiary care center. Discrete and open-ended questions assessed views surrounding the receipt of abnormal results and management of the pregnancy once fetal anomalies are detected. Qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Most (95%) desired information about abnormal sonographic findings, although only half would consider pregnancy termination for anomalies. Reasons for wanting return of abnormal results included preparedness, valuing knowledge, and to a lesser extent, informing decision-making. When considering potential termination as a result of ultrasound findings, participants' rationales demonstrated deontological (seeing termination as inherently impermissible or permissible), relational (duties arising from the role of being a mother), and consequentialist (weighing harms and benefits) reasoning. CONCLUSION: This study highlights women's perceptions of prenatal ultrasounds as an inherently valuable source of information and preparedness, beyond their role in informing clinical decision-making. Identifying the ethical constructs underpinning patients' perspectives may help direct development of counseling tools responsive to individual needs and values regarding prenatal ultrasound findings.
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Aborto Inducido , Mujeres Embarazadas , Femenino , Embarazo , Humanos , Mujeres Embarazadas/psicología , Diagnóstico Prenatal , Consejo , Ultrasonografía PrenatalRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: The capacity for wonder (CfW) is a personal disposition related to lifelong learning and moral character development, two highly valued characteristics of health professionals. We previously developed and validated a CfW measure among college students. Here we describe how the scale performs among medical students. METHODS: We invited all students at a top-tier U.S. medical school (N = 477) to participate in an online survey including the CfW measure, year in medical school, and demographics. We performed confirmatory factor analysis on the CfW measure and reassessed its reliability. RESULTS: 276 students completed the survey for an overall response rate of 58%. Factor analysis resulted in a 10-item scale with an alpha of 0.79 and an eigen value of 3.57. Factor loadings ranged from 0.43 to 0.77. The mean total score was 39.3 (SD = 8.9) out of a possible high score of 60. Total scores varied by year in school with significantly lower scores among 2nd year students (32.9 vs. 41.5; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We confirmed the reliability of a 10-item CfW scale in 4 cohorts of medical students. Results suggest that the 2nd year of medical school poses the greatest risk to students' capacity for wonder. Efforts should be made to understand this phenomenon and develop interventions to mitigate it. Future research should explore the validity of the CfW scale, its utility in evaluating interventions designed to cultivate the capacity for wonder, its applicability to other groups of health professionals, and its association with ethical decision-making and practice.
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Educación de Pregrado en Medicina , Estudiantes de Medicina , Humanos , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Escolaridad , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Evaluación EducacionalRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Collateral findings in pragmatic clinical trials are findings that may have implications for patients' health but were not generated to address a trial's primary research questions. It is uncertain how best to communicate these collateral findings to patients. OBJECTIVES: To determine how reactions to a letter communicating collateral findings relate to who signed the letter, the type of finding, or whether the letter specified that the finding arose from a pragmatic clinical trial. RESEARCH DESIGN: Web-based survey experiment using a between-subjects design in which respondents were randomly assigned within education strata to view and respond to 1 of 16 hypothetical scenarios. SUBJECTS: Adults recruited from an online panel constructed from a probability sample of US-based postal addresses. MEASURES: The primary outcomes were the action the respondent would take next (i.e., contact a doctor immediately or something else) and the respondent's emotional reactions (i.e., all positive, all negative, mixed, or none). RESULTS: A total of 4080 respondents had analyzable data. Although some effects were statistically significant (P < .05), none exceeded a prespecified threshold for policy relevance (15 or more percentage points). Ratings of letter clarity and level of understanding were lower for letters that included a description of the clinical trial. CONCLUSIONS: Signatory and level of detail about collateral findings did not substantially affect people's intentions to take the recommended action of contacting their doctor. Deciding whether to include a description of the pragmatic clinical trial requires a trade-off between transparency and more difficulty understanding the contents of the letter.
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Intención , Internet , Adulto , Humanos , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
While the embedded nature of pragmatic clinical trials (PCTs) can improve the efficiency and relevance of research for multiple stakeholders, embedding research into ongoing clinical care can also involve ethical and regulatory challenges. An emergent challenge is the management of pragmatic clinical trial collateral findings (PCT-CFs). While PCT-CFs share some features with incidental or secondary findings that are encountered in conventional clinical trials and clinical care, the PCT context differs in ethically relevant ways that complicate PCT-CF identification and management. We report on the results of a two-year multi-method investigation of PCT-CFs. Overall, five core themes emerged: 1) the liminal nature of PCTs and the implications of this for PCT-CFs; 2) the context-specific nature of PCT-CF management; 3) the centrality of institutions; 4) the importance of prospective planning; and 5) patient expectations. Among the central lessons of this work are that prior ethics guidance from other settings cannot easily be adapted to address PCT-CFs, nor can a single approach readily accommodate all PCT-CFs. Moving forward, stakeholders, including researchers, institutions, ethics oversight bodies, and funders, should anticipate and plan for PCT-CFs in the design, conduct, and analysis of PCTs. Future scholarship is needed to examine experiences with PCT-CFs, and the practical and conceptual issues they raise for the future conduct of PCTs.
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Ensayos Clínicos Pragmáticos como Asunto , Proyectos de Investigación , Humanos , Estudios Prospectivos , InvestigadoresRESUMEN
CONTEXT: Pragmatic clinical trials (PCTs), which are becoming widespread since they are relatively inexpensive and offer important benefits for healthcare decision-making, can also present practical, ethical, and legal challenges. One such challenge involves managing "pragmatic clinical trial collateral findings" (PCT-CFs), or information emerging in a PCT that is unrelated to the primary research question(s), yet may have implications for individual patients, clinicians, or health care systems from whom or within which data were collected. The expansion of PCTs makes it likely healthcare systems will increasingly encounter PCT-CFs, yet little guidance exists regarding their appropriate management. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders experienced in the conduct or oversight of PCTs and those in health system leadership. Interviews explored respondents' experience with PCTs and PCT-CFs, and actual or hypothetical reactions to PCT-CF management. We used standard methods of qualitative analysis to identify key themes. FINDINGS: Forty-one stakeholders participated. Four key themes emerged. First, discussions of PCT-CFs are complicated by layers of ambiguity related to both the nature of PCTs themselves, and unanticipated results that emanate from them. Second, management of PCT-CFs is context-specific, and not amenable to a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Third, there was a wide diversity of attitudes regarding the scope of researcher responsibilities in PCTs. Fourth, PCT-CFs had generally not been previously considered by respondents, but there was widespread belief in the importance of prospective planning to anticipate such issues in future PCTs. CONCLUSIONS: PCT-CFs are likely to increase, yet those charged with PCT-CF decision-making and their disclosure are unlikely to have experience with these issues. Further deliberation about the ethical obligations and implementation processes regarding PCT-CFs is needed. To enhance the likelihood of developing sound policies and practices, such deliberations should include the input and perspectives of key stakeholders in PCTs, including professionals, policy makers, and patients.
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PURPOSE: Research in genetics and infectious diseases (ID) presents novel configurations of ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSIs) related to the intersection of genetics with public health regulations and the control of transmissible diseases. Such research includes work both in pathogen genetics and on the ways that human genetics affect responses to ID. This paper identifies and systematizes the unique issues at this intersection, based on an interdisciplinary expert review. BASIC PROCEDURES: This paper presents results of a formal issue-spotting exercise among twenty experts in public health, law and genomics, biobanking, genetic epidemiology, ID medicine and public health, philosophy, ethics and ID, ethics and genomics, and law and ID. The focus of the exercise was on the collection, storage, and sharing of genetic information relating to ID. MAIN FINDINGS: The issue-spotting exercise highlighted the following ELSIs: risks in reporting to government authorities, return of individual research results, and resource allocation - each taking on specific configurations based on the balance between public health and individual privacy/protection. PRINCIPAL CONCLUSIONS: The public health implications of interactions between genomics and ID frame considerations for equity and justice. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, these issues are especially pressing.
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Objective: We characterize public values regarding vaccinomics, which aims to improve vaccine safety and effectiveness using genomics.Methods: Panel survey (2020) of ≥18-year-olds with embedded animation introduced vaccinomics. Sociodemographic, health, and vaccination-related items were adapted from validated scales. Novel items measured trust in public health authorities, vaccinomics-related values, and preferences for federal funding: vaccinomics compared with vaccine issues and chronic diseases. Beginning and end of survey confidence in vaccine safety was measured to assess potential changes. Data were weighted to the U.S. Census. Vaccinomics-related concerns were stratified by sociodemographic characteristics, vaccine hesitancy status (composite outcome), reported serious vaccine reactions, and trust in public health authorities (PHA). Log binomial regression models estimated associations between these variables and agency to make vaccine-related decisions.Results: Most (70.7%, N = 1,925) respondents expected vaccinomics would increase their vaccine confidence compared to now. Agreement was highest among those without serious vaccine reaction experience (unexperienced: 74.2% versus experienced: 62.3%), with high trust in PHA (high: 83.3% versus low: 57.4%), and low vaccine hesitancy among parents of teenagers (low: 78.8% versus high: 62.5%) and adults without minor children (low: 79.8% versus high: 60.6%; all p < .01). Belief that vaccination was an individual's choice was associated with reported serious reactions (adjusted Prevalence Ratio (aPR): 1.16; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.25) and low trust (aPR: 0.91; 0.84, 0.98). Beginning versus end of survey vaccine safety perceptions were similar.Conclusion: Federal funding, communications, and policies should assure the public that vaccinomics will not remove their decision-making power and engender trust in PHA.
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Vacunas , Adolescente , Adulto , Niño , Estudios Transversales , Humanos , Padres , Confianza , VacunaciónRESUMEN
Calls have been made for researchers prospectively and continuously to engage study communities. If done, this typically occurs through a specific research study or collaboration. Rarely are community mores examined in-depth to understand implications for research ethics policy processes. We describe a qualitative study designed to understand local community values, beliefs, and practices that relate to research ethics in Botswana and explore how communities would want their interests represented. Through focus group discussions across two different selected ethnic communities and in-depth interviews with paramount chiefs, we highlight a range of community values and expectations that represent concrete behavioral representations of respect and trustworthiness. Communities are willing to engage in the process of enhancing research and research ethics policies and procedures. We invite future research and training that seek to connect local conceptualizations of substantive and procedural aspects of research ethics.
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Ética en Investigación , Investigadores , Botswana , Humanos , Investigación Cualitativa , Sujetos de InvestigaciónRESUMEN
Infectious disease outbreaks highlight the importance of trust in public health authorities to avoid fear and improve adherence to recommendations. There is currently no established and validated measure for trust in public health authorities. We aimed to develop and validate an instrument that measures trust in public health authorities and to assess the association between trust in public health authorities and vaccine attitudes. We developed 20 items to measure trust in public health authorities. After implementing a survey in January 2020, we investigated relationships between the items, reduced the number of items, and identified latent constructs of the scale. We assessed variability in trust and how trust was associated with vaccine attitudes, beliefs, and self-reported vaccine acceptance. The pool was reduced to a 14-item trust in public health authorities scale and we found that this trust model was strongly associated with acceptance of vaccines. Our scale can be used to examine the relationship between trust in public health authorities and adherence to public health recommendations. The measure needs to be validated in other settings to determine whether they are associated with other areas where the public question public health authority recommendations.
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Salud Pública , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Confianza/psicología , Vacunación/psicología , Vacunación/estadística & datos numéricos , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Femenino , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Prevalencia , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Estados Unidos , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
The impact of host genomics on an individual's susceptibility, immune response, and risk of severe outcomes for a given infectious pathogen is increasingly recognized. As we uncover the links between host genomics and infectious disease, a number of ethical, legal, and social issues need to be considered when using that information in clinical practice or workforce decisions. We conducted a survey of the clinical staff at 10 federally funded Regional Ebola and Other Special Pathogen Treatment Centers to understand their views regarding the ethical, legal, and social issues related to host genomics and the administrative and clinical functions of high-level isolation units. Respondents overwhelmingly agreed that genomics could provide valuable information to identify patients and employees at higher risk for poor outcomes from highly infectious diseases. However, there was considerable disagreement about whether such data should inform the allocation of scarce resources or determine treatment decisions. While most respondents supported a confidential employer-based genomic testing system to inform individual employees about risk, respondents disagreed about whether such information should be used in staffing models. Respondents who thought genomic information would be valuable for patient treatment were more willing to undergo genetic testing for staffing purposes. Most respondents felt they would benefit from additional training to better interpret results from genetic testing. Although this study was completed before the COVID-19 pandemic, the responses provide a baseline assessment of provider attitudes that can inform policy during the current pandemic and in future infectious disease outbreaks.
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Actitud del Personal de Salud , Investigación Biomédica/ética , Genómica/ética , Personal de Salud/ética , COVID-19/prevención & control , Brotes de Enfermedades/prevención & control , Fiebre Hemorrágica Ebola/prevención & control , HumanosRESUMEN
We have never been so aware of masks. They were in short supply in the early days of COVID-19, resulting in significant risk to health care workers. Now they are highly politicized with battles about mask-wearing protocols breaking out in public. Although masks have obtained a new urgency and ubiquity in the context of COVID-19, people have thought about both the literal and metaphorical role of masks in medicine for generations. In this paper, we discuss three such metaphors-the masks of objectivity, of infallibility, and of benevolence-and their powerful role in medicine. These masks can be viewed as inflexible barriers to communication, contributing to the traditional authoritarian relationship between doctor and patient and concealing the authenticity and vulnerability of physicians. COVID masks, by contrast, offer a more nuanced and morally complex metaphor for thinking about protecting people from harm, authentic and trustworthy communication, and attention to potential inequities both in and beyond medical settings. We highlight the morally relevant challenges and opportunities that masks evoke and suggest that there is much to be gained from rethinking the mask metaphor in medicine.
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COVID-19 , Máscaras , Medicina , Metáfora , Humanos , Principios Morales , SARS-CoV-2RESUMEN
Scholars from a range of disciplines including medicine, sociology, psychology, and philosophy have addressed the concepts of ambiguity and uncertainty in medical practice and training. Most of this scholarship has been descriptive, focusing on defining and measuring ambiguity and uncertainty tolerance or tracking clinicians' responses to ambiguous and uncertain situations. Meanwhile, scholars have neglected some fundamental normative questions: Is tolerance of uncertainty good; if so, to what extent? Using a philosophical approach to these questions, we show that neither tolerance nor intolerance of uncertainty is necessarily a good or bad trait. Rather, both tolerance and intolerance of uncertainty can give physicians advantages while at the same time exposing them to pitfalls in clinical practice. After making this case, we argue that cultivating certain virtues-like courage, diligence, and curiosity-could help clinicians avoid the dangers of excessive tolerance and intolerance of uncertainty. Finally, we suggest that medical educators develop curricula and career counseling beginning with matriculation and proceeding through specialty choice and residency training that explicitly address trainees' responses to clinical uncertainty. These programs should encourage trainees, students and residents, to be mindful of their reactions to uncertainty and help them develop virtues that will allow them to avoid the hazards of extreme tolerance or intolerance of uncertainty.
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Internado y Residencia , Médicos , Toma de Decisiones Clínicas , Curriculum , Humanos , IncertidumbreRESUMEN
Objectives: We aimed to elucidate public values regarding the use of genomics to improve vaccine development and use (vaccinomics).Methods: Adults ≥18 years-old were recruited through social media and community organizations, and randomly assigned to one of four nested discussion groups in Boulder, CO and Baltimore, MD. Participants rated their confidence in vaccine safety and effectiveness prior to and after discussing vaccinomics. Before departing, they prioritized funding for vaccinomics versus federal priorities (vaccine safety and efficacy, new vaccines, and free vaccines) and chronic diseases (cancer, heart disease, and diabetes). Grounded Theory-influenced methods were used to identify themes.Results: Participants broadly supported vaccinomics. Emergent themes: concerns about reduced privacy/confidentiality, increased genetically based stigma/discrimination, and reduced agency to make vaccine-related decisions through genetically based prioritization. Participants supported vaccinomics' potential for increased personalization. Some participants favored prioritizing others over themselves during a vaccine shortage, while others did not. Some participants worried health insurance companies would discriminate against them based on information discovered through vaccinomics. Participants feared inequitable implementation of vaccinomics would contribute to discrimination and marginalization of vulnerable populations. Discussing vaccinomics did not impact perceptions of vaccine safety and effectiveness. Federal funding for vaccinomics was broadly supported.Conclusion: Participants supported vaccinomics' potential for increased personalization, noting policy safeguards to facilitate equitable implementation and protect privacy were needed. Despite some concerns, participants hoped vaccinomics would improve vaccine safety and effectiveness. Policies regarding vaccinomics' implementation must address public concerns about the privacy and confidentiality of genetic information and potential inequities in access to vaccinomics' benefits.
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Investigación Biomédica , Vacunas , Adolescente , Adulto , Genómica , Humanos , Políticas , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Tolerance for ambiguity (TFA) is important for physicians, with implications for ethical behavior and patient care. This study explores how medical students' TFA changes from matriculation to graduation and how change in empathy and openness to diversity are associated with this change. METHOD: Data for students who took the Matriculating Student Questionnaire (MSQ) in 2013 or 2014 and the Medical School Graduation Questionnaire (GQ) in 2017 or 2018 were drawn from the Association of American Medical Colleges (n = 17,221). Both the MSQ and GQ included a validated TFA scale and a shortened version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index; the MSQ also included an openness to diversity scale. Tercile groups were used to assess how TFA changed from the MSQ to GQ, and regression analyses were used to assess associations between change in TFA and openness to diversity and between change in TFA and change in empathy. RESULTS: Mean TFA scores decreased (d = -.67) among students with the highest TFA at matriculation but increased (d = .60) among students with the lowest TFA at matriculation. Regression results showed that change in TFA was significantly and positively associated with change in empathy (beta = .05, P < .001) and that openness to diversity (as reported at matriculation) was significantly and positively associated with TFA at graduation (beta = .05, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first nationally representative study to suggest that medical students' TFA changes over time, but in different directions depending on TFA at matriculation. TFA over time was also associated with change in empathy and openness to diversity. Medical schools should consider strategies to assess TFA in their admissions processes and for cultivating TFA throughout the learning process.
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Empatía/ética , Atención al Paciente/ética , Facultades de Medicina/estadística & datos numéricos , Estudiantes de Medicina/estadística & datos numéricos , Encuestas y Cuestionarios/estadística & datos numéricos , Adaptación Psicológica/fisiología , Adulto , Selección de Profesión , Diversidad Cultural , Etnicidad/estadística & datos numéricos , Femenino , Humanos , Relaciones Interpersonales , Aprendizaje , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Rol Profesional/psicología , Análisis de Regresión , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Facultades de Medicina/tendenciasRESUMEN
PURPOSE: As many as 20% of oncology patients receive chemotherapy in the last 14 days of their lives. This study characterized conversations between patients and cancer clinicians on chemotherapy cessation in the setting of advanced cancer. METHODS: This 3-site study captured real-time, audio-recorded interviews between oncology clinicians and patients with cancer during actual clinic visits. Audio-recordings were reviewed for discussion of chemotherapy cessation and were analyzed qualitatively. RESULTS: Among 525 recordings, 14 focused on stopping chemotherapy; 14 patients participated with 11 different clinicians. Two types of nonmutually exclusive conversation elements emerged: direct and specific elements that described an absence of effective therapeutic options and indirect elements. An example of a direct element is as follows: " You know this is always really tough But I-I think that you may need more help I think we're close to stopping chemotherapy And hospice is really helpful to have in place " In contrast, the second conversation element was more convoluted: " transplant is not an option and surgery is not an option The options are taking a pill It doesn't shrink the tumor It may help you live a little longer. But I'm worried if [you] had the pill, it's still a therapy and it still has side effects. I [am] worried if I give it to you now, that you're so weak, it will make you worse." No relationship seemed apparent between conversation elements and chemotherapy cessation. CONCLUSIONS: Conversations on chemotherapy cessation are complex; multiple factors appear to drive the decision to stop.
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Efectos Colaterales y Reacciones Adversas Relacionados con Medicamentos , Neoplasias , Comunicación , Humanos , Oncología Médica , Neoplasias/tratamiento farmacológicoRESUMEN
The pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 has led to unprecedented changes to society, causing unique problems that call for extraordinary solutions. We consider one such extraordinary proposal: 'safer infection sites' that would offer individuals the opportunity to be intentionally infected with SARS-CoV-2, isolate, and receive medical care until they are no longer infectious. Safer infection could have value for various groups of workers and students. Health professionals place themselves at risk of infection daily and extend this risk to their family members and community. Similarly, other essential workers who face workplace exposure must continue their work, even if have high-risk household members and live in fear of infecting. When schools are kept closed because of the fear that they will be sites of significant transmission, children and their families are harmed in multiple ways and college students who are living on campus, whether or not they are attending classes in person, are contributing to high rates of transmission and experiencing high rates of exposure. We consider whether offering safer infection sites to these groups could be ethically defensible and identify the empirical unknowns that would need to resolve before reaching definitive conclusions. This article is not an endorsement of intentional infection with the coronavirus, but rather is meant to spark conversation on the ethics of out-of-the-box proposals. Perhaps most meaningfully, our paper explores the value of control and peace of mind for those among us most impacted by the pandemic: those essential workers risking the most to keep us safe.