Characteristics and Outcomes of Safe Discharge Planning Bioethics Consultations of a Single Ethics Service at a Large Medical Center.

Unlabelled: AbstractBackground: Clinical ethics consults are sometimes requested for patients who lack capacity and do not assent to discharge recommendations, particularly those with neurocognitive or psychiatric disorders desiring home discharge. Balancing the risks and benefits of overriding patient preferences involves considering dignity, values, clinical information, and available resources. Outcomes of such consultations lack characterization in the literature.

Should Dialysis Be Stopped for an Unrepresented Patient With Metastatic Cancer?

Unrepresented patients (also referred to as unbefriended, patients alone, patients without proxy, or isolated patients) are among the most vulnerable persons entering the health care system. Legislation concerning these patients varies across the United States, resulting in disparities in care. For example, the statutory definition of who is unrepresented varies.