

Pediatrician Discusses Ethics of Parents’ Online PostsAugust 11, 2017 |
What happens when social media posts have potential to compromise care? Our Silvana Barone investigates
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Pediatrician Discusses Ethics of Parents’ Online PostsAugust 11, 2017 |
What happens when social media posts have potential to compromise care? Our Silvana Barone investigates
What happens when social media posts have potential to compromise care? Our Silvana Barone investigates
Many parents are quick to post photos of their kids on social media or blog about their child’s health. Parents have learned a thing or two from this practice—from foods to entice picky toddlers to favorite remedies for rashes and other common ailments—and often turn to online communities to share their experiences and network with other families.
On one hand, blogging and posting on such sites as Facebook and Twitter raise questions of privacy and other concerns unique to the pediatric population. But posting such information often provides social and emotional support; this is particularly salient for parents of children with complex or critical illness.
“Since we know social support for parents with generally healthy children is important, it actually may be critical for parents of children with complex or life-limiting illness, particularly when a diagnosis requires daily care and monitoring,” said Dr. Silvana Barone, a pediatrician recently transplanted from Montreal who is currently a clinical fellow in pediatric hospice and palliative medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. She spoke at a recent NIH bioethics group discussion in Bldg. 50.
Should Euthanasia Be Considered Iatrogenic?August 3, 2017 |
Our Silvana Barone and Yoram Unguru write, “Euthanasia could be viewed as iatrogenic insofar as it results in an outcome (death) that some might consider inherently negative. However, this perspective fails to acknowledge that death, the outcome of euthanasia, is not an inadvertent or preventable complication but rather the goal of the medical intervention…”
Our Silvana Barone and Yoram Unguru write, “Euthanasia could be viewed as iatrogenic insofar as it results in an outcome (death) that some might consider inherently negative. However, this perspective fails to acknowledge that death, the outcome of euthanasia, is not an inadvertent or preventable complication but rather the goal of the medical intervention…”
As more countries adopt laws and regulations concerning euthanasia, pediatric euthanasia has become an important topic of discussion. Conceptions of what constitutes harm to patients are fluid and highly dependent on a myriad of factors including, but not limited to, health care ethics, family values, and cultural context. Euthanasia could be viewed as iatrogenic insofar as it results in an outcome (death) that some might consider inherently negative. However, this perspective fails to acknowledge that death, the outcome of euthanasia, is not an inadvertent or preventable complication but rather the goal of the medical intervention. Conversely, the refusal to engage in the practice of euthanasia might be conceived as iatrogenic insofar as it might inadvertently prolong patient suffering. This article will explore cultural and social factors informing families’, health care professionals’, and society’s views on pediatric euthanasia in selected countries.