Complex systems are vulnerable to cascading failures. This can be true of financial networks, power grids, computer networks—and the healthcare system. How can healthcare providers avoid the snowball effect?

By Alessandra Suuberg

Headlines highlighting the UN’s Food Waste Index Report 2024 are not the only ones to show wide global disparities in access to food. Here are some of the stories making headlines in recent months.

By Alessandra Suuberg

By name, the Hippocratic Oath may be one of the most recognizable texts in medicine. But how many people, if asked, could pinpoint the “official” version, and how many could recite its contents? This may be a trick question.

Category: History of Medicine

A new bill in Ohio would approve the use of nitrogen gas for executions and protect execution identifying information from disclosure.

Category: Legislation in Context

At the end of January, Alabama made headlines by becoming the first U.S. state to execute a death row inmate by nitrogen hypoxia.

By Alessandra Suuberg

The purpose of life insurance is to provide a death benefit to beneficiaries when the insured individual dies. But what if the insured takes their own life? A seemingly simple legal clause—a term in an insurance contract—might have an important influence on public health.

By Alessandra Suuberg

From Gaza, Ukraine, and the UK, here are some of the stories that made headlines this fall.

Category: In the News

Guardianship is intended to protect individuals from exploitation and abuse. But the potential downsides include loss of control over personal decisions and finances, and the possibility that the arrangement will itself become abusive or be difficult to rescind.

By Alessandra Suuberg

Donors who got details like the date and the hospital were 10% more likely to donate again than people who were just thanked.

By Edlira Shehu and Karen Winterich

As publication media, websites and blogs are relatively fluid. What kinds of online tools will develop for tracing changes over time—publicly documented or not—in healthcare information presented online, and what can be learned from their use?

By Alessandra Suuberg

Yesterday’s mode of informed consent doesn’t quite fit today’s biobank studies.

By Robbee Wedow

Imagine yourself in the shoes of a mandated reporter, knowing that you could face consequences for failing to report possible child maltreatment. What do you do if the law says “suspicion” is enough to necessitate a report? What if the law only requires a report if you “believe” that abuse is taking place?

By Alessandra Suuberg

Whether you’re heading back to school, launching a bio-medical website, or navigating the manuscript submission process with a scientific journal, chances are you’ll run into questions about citation styles and reference lists. Here are some of the citation styles that you may see in medicine, biology, and other healthcare-related fields.

By Alessandra Suuberg

Decency LLC’s issue summary on abortion laws across the United States provides a general overview of the court decisions in Roe v. Wade and Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, their impact, and the types of abortion restrictions and protections that define the post-Dobbs legal landscape.

Category: Issue Summaries

In one of the most prominent industries in the world, it is important to understand the drug development process and how an idea in the lab can turn into a product on the market. Here is an overview of the five main stages that get a prescription drug on the market for patients to use according to the FDA.

By An Nguyen

Mistaken death declarations were in the news this week when a 76-year-old woman in Ecuador, previously declared dead in a hospital, proved to be alive at her wake. What are the medical or legal requirements for declaration of death? How do mistakes occur and what are their consequences?

Category: In the News

How are long-term comatose states handled in medical and legal practice? Do patients sometimes wake up from these states? How have loved ones and providers made decisions to end life support? A collection of past headlines sheds some light.

By Alessandra Suuberg

In 2022, more than 2,000 prisoners were awaiting execution in the United States. What role do medicine and medical professionals play in executions and the lives of individuals on death row?

By Alessandra Suuberg

Decency LLC’s issue summary on medical aid in dying (MAiD) reviews legislative history in U.S. states and abroad; information and statistics related to MAiD laws’ use in practice; and concerns and considerations previously raised by patients, providers, and other stakeholders.

Category: Issue Summaries

Medical aid in dying (MAiD) made headlines in Massachusetts this month, given new attention in the courts and from lawmakers.

By Alessandra Suuberg