Editor’s Note: For 16 years, I've published weekly essays here on Blogspot, which will continue. I’ve now begun publishing my work on a new blogging platform, Substack, and I hope you’ll join me there. Please enter your email address at this link to receive my posts directly to your inbox. The doctrine of informed consent is a bedrock medical ethical principle. Physicians’ obligation is to present the patient with reasonable diagnostic or therapeutic options with the respective risks and benefits. Decision-making authority resides with the patient. While this process sounds straightforward, it can be a bewildering process for patients and their families. For starters, physicians – trained medical professionals and members of the imperfect human species – have opinions on which medical options they favor. These opinions may be on the basis of known medical evidence or their professional experience. C ertain options may not be locally availabl...
Editor’s Note: For 16 years, I've published weekly essays here on Blogspot, which will continue. I’ve now begun publishing my work on a new blogging platform, Substack, and I hope you’ll join me there. Please enter your email address at this link to receive my posts directly to your inbox. In the olden days, purchased products were accompanied by instruction manuals. I realize that this anachronistic item will be unknown to today’s technophiles who direct Alexa to turn up the heat or play Sinatra songs during dinner. Permit me, as a courtesy to them, to offer a working definition. Instruction Manual: A printed document that explains how to operate and maintain the new item. I realize this sounds quaint to the Gen XYZ crowd, but we antiquarians relied upon these instructions regularly. Yes, there was overkill. We likely didn’t need to be advised that to make toast, we should simply slide a slice of bread into either of the two designa...