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71Is there a moral duty for doctors to trust patients?Journal of Medical Ethics 28 (2): 77-80. 2002.In this paper I argue that it is morally important for doctors to trust patients. Doctors' trust of patients lays the foundation for medical relationships which support the exercise of patient autonomy, and which lead to an enriched understanding of patients' interests. Despite the moral and practical desirability of trust, distrust may occur for reasons relating to the nature of medicine, and the social and cultural context within which medical care is provided. Whilst it may not be possible to…Read more
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81Is There a Tension Between Doctors' Duty of Care and Evidence-Based Medicine?Health Care Analysis 10 (3): 277-287. 2002.The interaction between evidence-based medicineand doctors' duty of care to patients iscomplex. One the one hand, there is surely anobligation to take account of the bestavailable evidence when offering health care topatients. On the other hand, it is equallyimportant to be aware of important shortcomingsin the processes and practices ofevidence-based medicine. There are tensionsbetween the population focus of evidence-basedmedicine and the duties that doctors have toindividual patients. Impleme…Read more
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35Beneficence in general practice: an empirical investigationJournal of Medical Ethics 25 (5): 388-393. 1999.OBJECTIVES: To study and report the attitudes of patients and general practitioners (GPs) concerning the obligation of doctors to act for the good of their patients, and to provide a practical account of beneficence in general practice. DESIGN: Semi-structured interviews administered to GPs and patients. SETTING AND SAMPLE: Participants randomly recruited from an age and gender stratified list of GPs in a geographically defined region of South Australia. The sample comprised twenty-one general p…Read more
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61Challenging the epistemological foundations of EBM: what kind of knowledge does clinical practice require?Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice 18 (5): 984-991. 2012.This paper raises questions about the epistemological foundations of evidence-based medicine . We argue that EBM is based upon reliabilist epistemological assumptions, and that this is appropriate - we should focus on identifying the most reliable processes for generating and collecting medical knowledge. However, we note that this should not be reduced to narrow questions about which research methodologies are the best for gathering evidence. Reliable processes for generating medical evidence m…Read more
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40Confidentiality and the ethics of medical ethicsJournal of Medical Ethics 29 (4): 220-224. 2003.In this paper we consider the use of cases in medical ethics research and teaching. To date, there has been little discussion about the consent or confidentiality requirements that ought to govern the use of cases in these areas. This is in marked contrast to the requirements for consent to publish cases in clinical journals, or to use personal information in research. There are a number of reasons why it might be difficult to obtain consent to use cases in ethics. Many cases concern people who …Read more
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57Getting clearer on overdiagnosisJournal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice 22 (4): 580-587. 2016.Overdiagnosis refers to diagnosis that does not benefit patients because the diagnosed condition is not a harmful disease in those individuals. Overdiagnosis has been identified as a problem in cancer screening, diseases such as chronic kidney disease and diabetes, and a range of mental illnesses including depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In this paper, we describe overdiagnosis, investigate reasons why it occurs, and propose two different types. Misclassification overdia…Read more
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30Smoke and mirrors: unanswered questions and misleading statements obscure the truth about organ sources in ChinaJournal of Medical Ethics 42 (8): 552-553. 2016.
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57Social justice and pandemic influenza planning: The role of communication strategiesPublic Health Ethics 1 (3): 223-234. 2008.Department of Medical Education, Flinders University of South Australia, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide SA 5001. Tel. : +61-8-7225-1111; Fax: +61-8-8204-5675; Email: lee0359{at}flinders.edu.au ' + u + '@ ' + d + ' '/ /- ->.This paper analyses the role of communication strategies in pandemic influenza planning. Our central concern is with the extent to which nations are using communication to address issues of social justice. Issues associated with disadvantage and vulnerability to infection in the event…Read more
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44Evidence based medicine and justice: a framework for looking at the impact of EBM upon vulnerable or disadvantaged groupsJournal of Medical Ethics 30 (2): 141-145. 2004.This article examines the implicit promises of fairness in evidence based medicine , namely to avoid discrimination through objective processes, and to distribute effective treatments fairly. The relationship between EBM and vulnerable groups is examined. Several aspects of EBM are explored: the way evidence is created , and the way evidence is applied in clinical care and health policy. This analysis suggests that EBM turns our attention away from social and cultural factors that influence heal…Read more
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28IntroductionInternational Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics 5 (2): 1-10. 2012.Our motivation for proposing a special issue of IJFAB on vulnerability is twofold. First, there is growing interest in the concept of vulnerability within both bioethics and feminist theory. Reflecting this interest, this special issue provides a forum for exploring the relevance for bioethics of feminist perspectives on vulnerability. Second, despite growing recognition within bioethics of the moral significance of vulnerability, the concept remains under-theorized in bioethical (and wider phil…Read more
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19Conflicts of interest in divisions of general practiceJournal of Medical Ethics 32 (12): 715-717. 2006.Community-based healthcare organisations manage competing, and often conflicting, priorities. These conflicts can arise from the multiple roles these organisations take up, and from the diverse range of stakeholders to whom they must be responsive. Often such conflicts may be titled conflicts of interest; however, what precisely constitutes such conflicts and what should be done about them is not always clear. Clarity about the duties owed by organisations and the roles they assume can help iden…Read more
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86The ethics of uterus transplantationBioethics 27 (2): 65-73. 2011.Human uterus transplantation is currently under investigation as a treatment for uterine infertility. Without a uterus transplant, the options available to women with uterine infertility are adoption or surrogacy; only the latter has the potential for a genetically related child. UTx will offer recipients the chance of having their own pregnancy. This procedure occurs at the intersection of two ethically contentious areas: assisted reproductive technologies and organ transplantation. In relation…Read more
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35Vulnerability and BioethicsIn Catriona Mackenzie, Wendy Rogers & Susan Dodds (eds.), Vulnerability: New Essays in Ethics and Feminist Philosophy, Oup Usa. pp. 60. 2013.
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56Evidence-Based Medicine and Women: Do the Principles and Practice of EBM Further Women's Health?Bioethics 18 (1): 50-71. 2004.Clinicians and policy makers the world over are embracing evidence-based medicine. The promise of EBM is to use summaries of research evidence to determine which healthcare interventions are effective and which are not, so that patients may benefit from effective interventions and be protected from useless or harmful ones. EBM provides an ostensibly rational and objective means of deciding whether or not an intervention should be provided on the basis of its effectiveness, in theory leading to f…Read more
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15Letter to the Editor: New Study Raises Questions about Effectiveness of Nicotine Replacement TherapyPublic Health Ethics 9 (2): 229-230. 2016.
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73Feminism and public health ethicsJournal of Medical Ethics 32 (6): 351-354. 2006.This paper sketches an account of public health ethics drawing upon established scholarship in feminist ethics. Health inequities are one of the central problems in public health ethics; a feminist approach leads us to examine not only the connections between gender, disadvantage, and health, but also the distribution of power in the processes of public health, from policy making through to programme delivery. The complexity of public health demands investigation using multiple perspectives and …Read more
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150Is sex-selective abortion morally justified and should it be prohibited?Bioethics 21 (9). 2007.ABSTRACT In this paper we argue that sex‐selective abortion (SSA) cannot be morally justified and that it should be prohibited. We present two main arguments against SSA. First, we present reasons why the decision for a woman to seek SSA in cultures with strong son‐preference cannot be regarded as autonomous on either a narrow or a broad account of autonomy. Second, we identify serious harms associated with SSA including perpetuation of discrimination against women, disruption to social and fami…Read more
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Areas of Specialization
Applied Ethics |
Areas of Interest
Applied Ethics |