Historical precursors of the field we now call epidemiology date back to Hippocrates. Modern epidemiological science, however, developed as domestic and international infectious disease transmission accompanied industrialization, some nations’ economic growth, and colonial powers’ military expansion and dominance. This article…
This article describes historical and political reasons for and devastating consequences of US opioid prescribing policy since the 1990s, which has restricted opioid prescribing for pain less than for treating opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment. This article considers merits and…
Structural determinants of health frameworks must express anti-racism to be effective, but racial and ethnic inequities are widely documented, even in harm reduction programs that focus on person-centered interventions. Harm reduction strategies should express social justice and health equity, resist…
Severe opioid withdrawal, risk of patient-initiated discharge, and some inpatients’ use of unregulated substances prompt clinical and ethical questions considered in this commentary on a case. Short-acting opioids can be used to manage inpatients’ pain and opioid use disorder (OUD)…
Practices and interventions that aim to slow progression or reduce negative consequences of substance use are harm reduction strategies. Often described as a form of tertiary prevention, harm reduction is key to caring well for people who use drugs. Evidence-based…
Overall rates of opioid use are low in adolescents; however, recent increases in mortality from overdose in adolescents have outpaced increases in the general population. This article highlights the importance of expanding evidence-based treatment for adolescent opioid use, especially medication,…
This activity is comprised of five multiple-choice questions based on the content of an AMA Journal of Ethics podcast about how street outreach programs help mitigate harms of drug use among people experiencing homelessness. The featured guest are Dave Lettrich,…
Medical-legal partnership (MLP) integrates the unique expertise of lawyers into collaborative clinical environments. MLP teams meet the needs of individual patients while also detecting structural problems at the root of health inequities and advancing solutions at the institutional, community, and…
Medical-legal partnerships vary widely in how they are structured and use data to inform service delivery. Epidemiological data on certain chronic conditions’ prevalence, the incidence of potentially preventable morbidity, and health-harming legal factors also influence approaches to care. This article…
This case commentary considers unique features of medical-legal partnerships (MLPs) in the Veterans Health Administration that may potentially mediate and minimize ethical tensions that may arise in MLP collaborations involving diagnosing and documenting disability.
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