Ethics Talk

High-stakes ethics decisions are common in health care. What should you do? Each month, the AMA Journal of Ethics' podcast, Ethics Talk, features interviews with influential experts and leaders on a wide range of cultural, historical, legal, and social topics in health care ethics. We sort through interesting, important, and difficult questions, talk about how to weigh competing values, and offer strategies for navigating real world tough cases.

Editorial Fellow Interview: "Promises and Perils of Electronic Health Records"

Editorial Fellow Dr David Oxman joins Ethics Talk to discuss the November 2025 issue of the Journal: "Electronic Health Record Evolution."  Recorded August 12, 2025. 

11-15
04:30

Author Interview: "What Are Ethical Merits and Drawbacks of a Patient's Open and Direct Access to Clinical Information in Their EHRs During a Hospital Stay?"

Ibrahim Nawaz Khan joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article, coauthored with Dr Lauren Smith: "What Are Ethical Merits and Drawbacks of a Patient's Open and Direct Access to Clinical Information in Their EHRs During a Hospital Stay?"  Recorded July 30, 2025.  Read the full article for free at JournalOfEthics.org

11-15
03:59

Author Interview: "Whom Should We Regard as a Legitimate Stakeholder in the Accuracy of Information in a Patient's EHR?"

Steve O'Neill joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article, coauthored with Dr Catherine M. DesRoches: "Whom Should We Regard as a Legitimate Stakeholder in the Accuracy of Information in a Patient's EHR?"  Recorded August 6, 2025.  Read the full article for free at JournalOfEthics.org

11-15
04:52

Author Interview: "How Should We Think About Ambient Listening and Transcription Technologies' Influences on EHR Documentation and Patient-Clinician Conversations?"

Sara Gerke joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article, coauthored with Dr David Simon "How Should We Think About Ambient Listening and Transcription Technologies' Influences on EHR Documentation and Patient-Clinician Conversations?"  Recorded August 7, 2025.  Read the full article for free at JournalOfEthics.org

11-15
05:03

Author Interview: "EHRs, iPatients, and Clinician Well-Being"

Ali Rahman joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article, coauthored with Dr Kimberly Ho, Marissa Dulas, Dr Zi-Yi Choo, and Dr Maria Alcocer Alkureishi: "EHRs, iPatients, and Clinician Well-Being."  Recorded August 22, 2025.  Read the full article for free at JournalOfEthics.org

11-15
04:08

Author Interview: "How to Teach Good EHR Documentation and Deflate Bloated Chart Notes"

Dr Neda Frayha joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article: "How to Teach Good EHR Documentation and Deflate Bloated Chart Notes."  Recorded August 26, 2025.  Read the full article for free at JournalOfEthics.org

11-15
04:53

Author Interview: "A Comic of RBCs and Other EHR TMI"

Teddie Bernard joins Ethics Talk to discuss their article: "A Comic of RBCs and Other EHR TMI."  Recorded August 12, 2025.  Read the full article for free at JournalOfEthics.org

11-15
05:03

Ethics Talk: How Do Street Clinicians Use EHRs?

Brett Feldman joins Ethics Talk to discuss the evolution of electronic health records in street health care practice.  Recorded on July 29, 2025.  Read the full November 2025 issue, Electronic Health Record Evolution, for free at JournalOfEthics.org

11-01
23:28

Ethics Talk Should the Body Mass Index (BMI) Still Be Used in Health Care?

Despite that body mass index (BMI) is a measure widely recognized as imprecise and of limited diagnostic utility, it remains in use in health care, including in procedure candidacy screening and to disqualify some patients' access to indicated interventions. In this Sept 10th Grand Rounds, Drs Fatima Cody Stanford and Natalie Boero will examine the clinical applications of BMI and their effects on patients, and how our understanding of the obesity "epidemic" has evolved. Recorded September 10, 2025.  Watch the video and claim CE credit at JournalOfEthics.org

10-24
44:33

Editorial Fellow Interview: "Equity and Ethics in the Undiagnosed Diseases Network"

Editorial Fellow Dr Peter Nelson joins Ethics Talk to discuss the July 2025 issue of the Journal, co-curated with Georgeann Booth: "Diagnostic Research."  Recorded August 5, 2025.  Read the full October 2025 issue, Diagnostic Research, for free at JournalOfEthics.org

10-15
03:20

Author Interview: "How Should Students and Trainees Be Taught to Support Patients With Undiagnosed Conditions?"

Dr Mylynda Massart joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article, coauthored with Dr Erika Dreikorn: "How Should Students and Trainees Be Taught to Support Patients With Undiagnosed Conditions?"  Recorded August 4, 2025.  Read the full article for free at JournalOfEthics.org

10-15
03:08

Author Interview: "Is the UDN N-of-1 Enterprise Ethically Justifiable?"

Gianna Gordon joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article, coauthored with Lisa Kearns: "Is the UDN N-of-1 Enterprise Ethically Justifiable?"  Recorded August 4, 2025.  Read the full article for free at JournalOfEthics.org

10-15
03:47

Author Interview: "What Matters Ethically About How the UDN Has Changed Since Its Inception"

Dr David A. Pearce joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article, coauthored with Dr Elena-Alexandra Tataru: "What Matters Ethically About How the UDN Has Changed Since Its Inception."  Recorded August 6, 2025.  Read the full article for free at JournalOfEthics.org

10-15
04:11

Ethics Talk: Why Has US Health Research Shifted From Social and Environmental Factors to Genetics?

Dr James Tabery joins Ethics Talk to discuss how US health research has shifted from social and environmental factors to genetics over the course of the mid-to-late 20th century.   Recorded August 7, 2025.  Read the full October 2025 issue for free at JournalOfEthics.org 

10-01
28:40

Author Interview: "How Should Clinical Teams Integrate Findings From Social Needs Screenings Into Children's Care Plans?"

Dr Stephanie Menko joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article, coauthored with Drs Michael J. Luke and Aditi Vasan: "How Should Clinical Teams Integrate Findings From Social Needs Screenings Into Children's Care Plans?"  Recorded June 27, 2025.  Read the full article at JournalOfEthics.org

09-15
05:10

Author Interview: "How Should Clinicians Follow Up About Nonresponses to Mandatory SDoH Screening Questions?"

Dr Audriana Mooth joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article: "How Should Clinicians Follow Up About Nonresponses to Mandatory SDoH Screening Questions?"  Recorded June 17, 2025.  Read the full article at JournalOfEthics.org

09-15
02:29

Author Interview: "Centering Social Pediatrics in Graduate Medical Education"

Dr Raquel Selcer joins Ethics Talk to discuss their article, coauthored with Derek Ross Soled and Rohan Khazanchi: "Centering Social Pediatrics in Graduate Medical Education."  Recorded June 27, 2025.  Read the full article at JournalOfEthics.org

09-15
04:25

Author Interview: "Trauma-Informed Screening for Structural Drivers of Health"

Dr Elizabeth Lanphier joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article, coauthored with Dr James Duffee: "Trauma-Informed Screening for Structural Drivers of Health."  Recorded July 1, 2025.  Read the full article for free at JournalOfEthics.org

09-15
05:17

Author Interview: "Critical Pedagogical Approaches to Structural Drivers of Health"

Dr Jake Young joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article: "Critical Pedagogical Approaches to Structural Drivers of Health."  Recorded June 25, 2025.  Read the full article at JournalOfEthics.org

09-15
03:01

Author Interview: "Advocacy as an Origin of Pediatrics"

Jorie Braunold joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article: "Advocacy as an Origin of Pediatrics."  Recorded July 1, 2025.  Read the full article for free at JournalOfEthics.org

09-15
03:30

Recommend Channels