One of the central missions of the World Medical Association (WMA) in its role as the global organization of physicians is to ensure the highest possible standard of ethical practice of the medical profession. Since its establishment in 1947 in the aftermath of one of the most egregious breaches of medical ethical principles, the WMA has adopted a comprehensive range of declarations, resolutions, and statements aimed at providing ethical and other guidance to the global medical profession.
Source: JAMA Online First
This Medical News article discusses how abortion bans could affect patients for whom teratogenic drugs are the standard of care.
Source: JAMA Online First
Suicidal behavior is among the most critical of medical emergencies for adolescents. Among US youth aged 15 to 24 years, intentional self-harm (suicide) is the second leading cause of death and accounted for 6807 deaths in 2018. Recent statistics are ominous regarding significant increases in suicidal behavior among adolescents; from 2009 and 2019, there were significant increases in the prevalence of those who reported having seriously considered attempting suicide (13.8% to 18.8%) and having attempted suicide (6.3% to 8.9%). These increases occurred prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. A study that evaluated emergency department visits for suspected suicidal behavior among persons aged 12 to 25 years before and during the COVID-19 pandemic found that the mean number of weekly visits for suspected suicide attempts increased from February through March 2021, compared with the same period in 2019, with a 50.6% increase among girls and a 3.7% increase among boys.
Source: JAMA Online First
This JAMA Patient Page summarizes the US Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendations on screening for depression and suicide risk in children and adolescents.
Source: JAMA Online First
This systematic review to support the 2022 US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement on screening for depression and suicide risk in children and adolescents summarizes published evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for and treatment of depression and suicide risk in children and adolescents 18 years or younger.
Source: JAMA Online First
This 2022 Recommendation Statement from the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (B recommendation) and concludes that current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for MDD in children 11 years or younger (I statement) and of screening for suicide risk in children and adolescents (I statement).
Source: JAMA Online First
The Medical News & Perspectives article titled “White House Advisor Nahid Bhadelia, MD, MALD, on COVID-19 in Resource-Limited Nations—Undercounted Deaths, Vaccine Inequity, and More,” published online October 5, 2022, included some unclear wording. In the fourth question, Dr Bhadelia’s response should have stipulated that registration of deaths due to COVID-19 range from “98% coverage [in parts of Europe]” to only 10% “in [parts of] Africa.” The article has been corrected online.
Source: JAMA Online First
This study estimates the proportion of males and females, younger or older than 20 years of age, affected by at least 1 of the 3 Long COVID symptom clusters (persistent fatigue with bodily pain or mood swings; cognitive problems; or ongoing respiratory problems) after SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020 and 2021 and their symptom severity and expected duration of Long COVID.
Source: JAMA Online First
This Viewpoint discusses 3 types of systemic health inequity experienced by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities—stigma, exclusion, and devaluation of worth; underrepresentation in population epidemiology and research; and inadequate access to care and social services—and suggests potential approaches to ameliorating inequities in each of these areas.
Source: JAMA Online First
This Viewpoint discusses 3 areas in need of progress regarding societal approaches to pandemics and other health threats: a renaissance in public health; robustness of primary health care; and resilience of individuals and communities, with higher levels of trust in government and society.
Source: JAMA Online First