Ethics in pathology: Images, the media and diagnosis

When Prince died in April, details of his death and autopsy slowly trickled into the public sphere, but isn ’t patient health information private? Examine this and other complex ethical questions that pathologists face in practice and how media and publicity can complicate these matters even more. TheAugust issue of theAMA Journal of Ethics ® considers neglected ethical issues in pathology practice, including shifts in social and cultural attitudes toward autopsy, cautions about the use of social media for sharing images, how to communicate about errors or pathology results and what the death of Prince tells us about the public and professional obligations of physicians who interact with the media. Articles featured in this issue include:“Pathology image-sharing on social media: Recommendations for protecting privacy while motivating education.” With a rising interest in social media use by pathologists, use of pathology images on these channels is being debated. Particularly photographs of dermatologic conditions and from gross examination or autopsy suggest a need for professionals to adopt practical social media guidelines that can h elp mitigate breach of privacy risk to patients.“Public figures, professional ethics, and the media.” If health information is private, why does the public know so much about Prince’s death? Death certificates and autopsy reports contain personal information protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ...
Source: AMA Wire - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Source Type: news