You have been asked to give Grand Rounds at a hospital. A manufacturer of a new medical device is sponsoring you. In exchange, you are being offered a $1,000 fee for your talk. What should you do?

You have been asked to give Grand Rounds at a hospital. A manufacturer of a new medical device is sponsoring you. In exchange, you are being offered a $1,000 fee for your talk. What should you do?

A patient of yours has gone to the hospital to obtain a copy of her medical record for her own review. The hospital refuses to release them to her on the grounds that she must provide an adequate reason for wishing to see the records. She has come to see you to ask if this is true and how can she get her records. What should you tell her?

A 32 year old woman was admitted to the Trauma Intensive Care Unit following a motor vehicle accident; she had multiple injuries and fractures, with several complications which continued to develop over the first couple of weeks. The patient rapidly developed Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome, was on a ventilator, and was continuously sedated. Shortly after the patient's admission, her parents were contacted and remained vigilant at her bedside. The parents reported that the patient was one month away from having her divorce finalized. The patient's husband was reportedly physically and emotionally abusive to her throughout their five years of marriage. The parents had not notified this man of the patient's hospitalization, and reported that visit by him would be distressing to the patient if she were aware of it. The patient's soon to be ex-husband is her legal next of kin. Should the husband be responsible for treatment decisions which the patient cannot make?

After having completed a study that involved the collection of tissue from the subjects, an investigator wishes to perform additional analysis of the archived tissue samples. This nature of this analysis was not explicitly stated in the original consent form. Should the investigator be required to obtain explicit consent for the new research?

A pediatrician in a group practice comes to a colleague to inquire about a patient that the colleague examined earlier that morning. The pediatrician says that he recognized the patient as a former neighbor who is also a good friend of the family. The patient was recently diagnosed as HIV positive and is now on antiretroviral medication. The pediatrician asks why the patient is being treated. What is the most appropriate response to such an inquiry?