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Biomedical subjects

A Dhai

Publications and source records attributed to A Dhai.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

The impaired practitioner - scope of the problem and ethical challenges.

Practitioner impairment occurs when a physical, mental or substance-related disorder interferes with his or her ability to engage in professional activities competently and safely. The Health Professions Council of South Africa makes reporting of impaired colleagues and students mandatory. The ethical dilemma faced by many colleagues on the issue of reporting an impaired practitioner is that of having to choose between protecting the privacy of the practitioner and the safety of patients. However, medicine as a profession with an acknowledged fiduciary relationship has a clear responsibility to assure the public, and all patients, that its practitioners and institutions are trustworthy. An awareness of and sensitivity to physician vulnerability and early detection and prevention of impairment is important.

Ethics, Medical↗
PubMed2006

HIV-positive status among surgeons - an ethical dilemma.

HIV/AIDS is a manageable disease with a reasonable expectation that affected individuals might be able to experience both reduced mortality and morbidity. Within the socio-political context of the illness there has been a very strong emphasis on human rights issues, especially in relation to discrimination, which has seemingly been influenced more by emotion than science. This article explores and addresses the potential risk of an HIV-positive surgeon transmitting the virus to a patient. We argue that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) guidelines are too restrictive, especially against a background of limited transmission risk, and hence that these guidelines could be more harmful than beneficial to our health systems.

General Surgery↗
PubMed2005

Intersex conditions in children and adolescents: surgical, ethical, and legal considerations.

INTRODUCTION: Approximately one in 2000 children globally is born with an intersex condition. There is unfortunately a relative paucity of data on the choices and the surgical and psychosocial outcomes in patients who undergo genital surgery for intersex conditions and ambiguous genitalia, especially in developing countries. Specialists in these and other countries, where patient follow-up is generally poor, are faced with the daunting task of offering the appropriate medical and surgical management, in the absence of guidelines or recommendations. SURGICAL CONSIDERATIONS: A surgical procedure in these patients sometimes involves clitoral recession, reduction, vaginoplasty, and gonadectomy. The best surgical outcome is likely to be achieved with a multidisciplinary surgical team; however, the choice of surgery and appropriate timing remains controversial. Some authors have suggested delaying surgery until the child becomes competent to make his/her own decisions. LEGAL/ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: All procedures should conform to an ethical code of practice and be in the interest of the child. Exhaustive counseling of all parties and informed consent is of paramount importance, as is adherence to laws that protect the rights of the child as outlined in respective constitutions. RECOMMENDATIONS: Recommendations in this article, which have been put together from the combined input of three departments, are broad-based. They emphasize the need for extensive counseling, informed consent, adherence to ethical and legal norms, a multidisciplinary input and a shift away from a paternalistic approach.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Research ethics review--protecting participants in research.

The global proliferation of medical research has imposed a huge responsibility on research ethics committees (RECs). While South Africa has a climate conducive to serious growth in research, it is also home to a large number of vulnerable groups of poor populations. The potential for misuse of power in research cannot be ignored. Stipulations within the National Health Act now make the ethical practice of research a statutory requirement in South Africa. Commitment to REC support by institutions will be reflective of their commitment to ethical research. However currently RECs are overworked and understaffed. Regrettably, protecting participants in research has not kept pace with the rapid increase of research in the country.

Developing Countries↗
PubMed2004

Ethical and legal controversies in cloning for biomedical research--a South African perspective.

Therapeutic embryonic stem cell research raises a number of ethical and legal issues. The promised benefits are new and important knowledge of human embryological development, gene action, and the production of transplantable tissue and organs that could be effective in reversing or curing currently irreversible disease processes. However, this research involves the deliberate production, use, and ultimate destruction of cloned embryos, hence re-awakening the debate on the moral status of the embryo. Other moral anxieties include the possibility that women (as donors of ova) would be exploited, that this research would land on the slippery slope of reproductive cloning, and that promises made too early could lead to false hope among sick patients. It also raises the question of intellectual and actual property rights in human cell lines and the techniques by which they are produced. Review of legal systems internationally reveals that there is no global consensus on therapeutic embryonic stem cell research. Legal considerations are very much influenced by ethical deliberations on the moral status of the embryo. The South African parliament is promulgating legislation permitting therapeutic cloning, thereby demonstrating a commitment by the state to act in the best interests of patients and of regenerative medicine.

Biomedical Research↗
PubMed1982

Genito-urinary tuberculosis. A 4-year review.

The current pattern of genito-urinary tuberculosis was studied in 95 patients treated between 1977 and 1980. Presenting symptoms, organ involvement and forms of treatment are described. Involvement of the lower urinary tract with sinus formation was found to be common among the population of Natal. Three cases of primary genital tuberculosis were found.

Adolescent↗