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Biomedical subjects

D Callahan

Publications and source records attributed to D Callahan.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

New transurethral system for interstitial radiation of prostate cancer.

Direct endoscopic implantation of radioactive materials for carcinoma of the prostate without an open operation was accomplished by the use of modified existing transurethral instrumentation and techniques. The closed approach seems applicable particularly to the geriatric population, which is afflicted more commonly but is frequently not treated because of concurrent diseases or because the patient had transurethral resection of the prostate as a diagnostic procedure. Eleven patients were implanted using the transurethral route. Implantations were accomplished successfully with extremely low morbidity. Along with more conventional dosimetry studies, computer tomography was used to assess the placement of seeds. The direct visualization of the method suggests a potential for greater precision of seed placement as illustrated by computer tomography. In addition, this new instrumentation and method offers a low-risk procedure for carcinoma of the prostate that can be performed on an outpatient basis for selected patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Families as caregivers: the limits of morality.

There is a developing trend to look to families to provide care and support of those in need of rehabilitation. A widespread assumption is that family care is superior care and, with modest degrees of support, families can provide that care. Yet we may question the ethical limits of the obligation of a family or family member to provide care when the demands are severe. Psychologic and moral problems that confront caregivers are examined. In some cases caregivers must sacrifice their present and future welfare. That the moral claim made upon them may seem a justifiable one in many respects does not mean that it will be endurable; that it is endurable does not mean that it is justifiable. The problem is exacerbated by lack of a supportive culture, one that rewards and honors those who take on heroic duties. Caregivers may be socially isolated. If heroic demands are to be made on family members, a richer moral culture is required, not just the provision of improved social services.

Persons with Disabilities↗
PubMed1986

How technology is reframing the abortion debate.

Since the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, medical and scientific developments have focused greater public and professional attention on the status of the fetus. Their cumulative effect may influence legal, social, and moral thought and set the stage for a change in public opinion and a challenge to legalized abortion. There is as yet no inexorable convergence of medical data and legal opinion that would undermine the rational of Roe v. Wade. But the prochoice movement must find room for an open airing of the moral questions if abortion is to remain what it should be--a legally acceptable act.

Aborted Fetus↗
PubMed1986

Abortion: the new debate.

The course of the debate on abortion following the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion has been marked by a variety of medical and scientific developments. Many of these new developments have important legal, psychologic, social, moral, and political implications. The cumulative impact of all these developments may pose a significant challenge to the social and legal foundations of Roe v. Wade.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1985

Medicare reform: social and ethical perspectives.

Despite Medicare's success as a social program, its future is in question because of the program's enormous costs. Because the issue of Medicare reform has been forced upon us at this juncture by a crisis of finance rather than by the long-standing inequities in the present system of paying for the health care of the elderly, questions about how best to secure its fiscal integrity have seized the attention of the public. Yet, such questions are hard to contain; they force an examination of broader and more fundamental issues. In this article, we examine the validity of the ultimate moral and social rationales for continuing Medicare in something approximating its present form; the legitimacy of a social entitlement program that is age- rather than means-based; the implications for the future of health care reform if significant changes were to be made in the Medicare program and its underlying rationale; and the possibility that changes in that program may jeopardize the chances for a more rational, just, and systematic approach to the provision of health care to all Americans.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Ethics and health care: the next 20 years.

Shifts in moral values in society as they pertain to the future of health care for the next 20 years are discussed. Even though people tend to think that moral dilemmas linger on forever, any number of moral issues that were once hotly debated are now resolved. The trends in health care since World War II--greater access to health care, continual development of new therapies, and elimination of disease and illness--have produced several moral dilemmas. Questions about what society can afford, rationing of health care, and the quality of life now abound; these will directly affect progress in health care in the next 20 years. Expensive technologies that benefit only a few will likely be scrapped in favor of emphasis on low-cost therapies with broader applications. Although complicated, a cost-benefit analysis and exercise should be undertaken to decide whether advances are worth the investments. There have been several shifts in moral values of society that will affect health care over the next couple of decades. Among these are the resurgence of emphasis on the common good (rather than the rights of individuals), movement away from emphasis on rules and principles and toward development of character and virtue, greater sobriety about the negative potential of new technologies, increased group medical practices, and changing ideas about the moral implications of chronic diseases and about the relative roles of the individual and society in improving health.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Behavior↗