NSHEN has developed an educational resource called Featured Articles. We will be choosing articles from recent health ethics literature that we think will be of interest to ethics committee members as well as others working in our health care system.
We will create a summary of each article we feature for those too busy to read it in its entirety.
New Summary
When can Physicians Fire Patients with Opioid Use Disorder for Nonmedical Use of Prescription Medications?
by Levi Durham.
Durham, L. (2024) When Can Physicians Fire Patient with Opioid Use Disorder for Nonmedical Use of Prescription Medications? Journal of Clinical Ethics, Vol. 35 (1):65-69.
Short Summary
This article discusses the circumstances under which it may be appropriate to dismiss hospitalized
patients with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) who are illegally injecting drugs in the health care
facility from medical care. Based on a case about a 35-year-old patient with OUD who is injecting
opioids while in hospital, the authors analyze physicians’ responsibilities to their “non-adherent”
patients. Durham argues that only under circumstances where the benefits outweigh the expected
harms of involuntarily discharging the patient is it acceptable for a physician to ‘fire’ their patient
from medical care.
Past Summaries
Refusal of Representation in Advance Care Planning: A Case-Inspired Ethical Analysis
Rethinking Decision Quality: Measures, Meaning, and Bioethics
Addressing Needs and Potential BarriersDownload
Zone of Parental DiscretionDownload
MedicineDownload
Health Care.Download
