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April
6, 2005
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Vol.
8 No. 4
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SPOTLIGHT
ON RESOURCES
The relationship
between physician and patient grows increasingly complicated as both
parties navigate
their way through new treatments, complex insurance
and payment plans and an overextended health care system. In this month’s
spotlight, a special issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine on professionalism
and professional ethics in medicine sheds light on some of the newer
dilemmas facing health care providers. Should physicians disclosure their
financial involvement in a new drug or procedure to their patients? Should
advertising be allowed in academic medical centers? How can physicians “ethically” allocate
scarce resources among patients? Do doctors have an obligation to inform
their patients about out-of-pocket prescription costs before recommending
a drug? The March 28 Archives of Internal Medicine is available at http://archinte.ama-assn.org/ (subscription
required, although some of the content is free).
The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking for worksite
health promotion
programs “that show promise in helping employees maintain
or attain health body weight.” The SWAT or Swift Worksite
Assessment and Translation project wants to hear about smaller
companies or organizations
with fewer than 500 employees that have worksite-based programs
that have been operating for at least six months and have body-weight
data
demonstrating the program’s success. According to Phil Sparling,
Ed.D., of the CDC’s Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity,
the weight data must show either evidence of sustained weight loss
in overweight employees or weight maintenance by employees who
have changed their eating and exercise patterns. If you know of
a company
program that fits this description, please send the name of the
company, the name, e-mail or phone number for a company contact
person and a
brief description of the intervention to Sparling at psparling1@cdc.gov.
In the wake of the
Terry Schiavo case, the California Health Care Foundation suggests
two helpful Web sites on planning advance health care directives. Caring
Connections,
a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization,
offers a variety of free advice and publications regarding advance
care directives and palliative care. The Aging With Dignity site
offers examples of its “Five
Wishes” document,
which helps patients spell out their emotional and spiritual as
well medical wishes for end of life care.
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