Focus And Scope

American Journal of Ethics & Medicine, published by American Medical Publication collaborates with American Medical Association. are dedicated to providing physicians with the best research and important information in the world of medical research and science and to present the information in a format that is understandable and clinically useful. Committed to publishing multidisciplinary research that spans the entire spectrum of healthcare and medicine access, American Journal of Ethics & Medicine aims at an international audience of pharmacists, clinicians, medical ethicists, regulators, and researchers, providing an online forum for the rapid dissemination of recent research and perspectives in this area.

American Journal of Ethics & Medicine Evidence seeks to advance clinical trial research and clinical practice by:

• Publishing high-quality studies from the front lines of medical research.
• Challenging the medical community to take new approaches to clinical trial design and execution that yield more powerful clinical evidence.
• Sparking debate and conversation around areas of medicine where clinical decisions are made without sufficient evidence.
• Engaging physicians in a more sophisticated and meaningful way with clinical evidence.

Adhering to the rigorous peer-review and quality standards expected from American Journal of Ethics & Medicine Evidence publishes:

• Original research, clinical trials, and other clinically grounded work (e.g., epidemiology studies, first-in-human trials, meta-analyses) that validate or challenge prior clinical findings.
• Standard reviews, systematic reviews, and other review types that contextualize research findings with the aim of accelerating clinical adoption of new evidence.
• Case studies and reviews of clinical trial methodology that enhance understanding of trial strengths and weaknesses.
• Curbside consult series that addresses common patient care issues.
• Morning Report series solicited case presentation articles that are delivered in a morning report format.

Generation of Evidence

The process of generating evidence is a key area of focus for American Journal of Ethics & Medicine Evidence. We encourage readers to evaluate the reasoning behind the complex decisions that investigators make in trial design and execution, and to assess the quality of evidence produced in trials. Our goal is to build a community that takes a rigorous approach to evaluating evidence and assessing its impact on clinical decision-making.

Statistical Methods

American Journal of Ethics & Medicine Evidence guides readers toward a deeper understanding of the statistical methods used in trials. We provide concise, digestible explanations of research methods to inform the interpretation of the resulting data. In addition, we introduce readers to emerging statistical methods and types of data that will play an increasingly prominent role in future trials.

Multidisciplinary Coverage

American Journal of Ethics & Medicine Evidence publishes content relevant across all medical disciplines to advance the discussion of how to generate evidence that informs patient care. Physician-scientists, trialists, and general medicine and subspecialty clinicians will all benefit from this publication.

American Journal of Ethics & Medicine covers themes including, but not limited to:

• Foundations of Bioethics

• Application of ethical theories (e.g., deontology, utilitarianism, virtue ethics, casuistry) to medical practice.
• The principles of biomedical ethics (autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice).
• History of medical ethics.
• Religious, secular, and cross-cultural perspectives on bioethics.
• Moral philosophy and its relevance to medical decision-making.

• Clinical Ethics and the Doctor-Patient Relationship

• Informed consent, shared decision-making, and decision-making capacity.
• Confidentiality, privacy, and data protection in the digital age.
• Truth-telling, disclosure of medical errors, and therapeutic privilege.
• Professionalism, professional boundaries, and conflicts of interest.
• Conscientious objection in clinical practice.
• The role of clinical ethics consultation services.

• Beginning of Life and Reproductive Ethics

• Ethical issues in assisted reproductive technologies (IVF, surrogacy, gamete donation).
• Genetic screening, counseling, and engineering (e.g., PGD, CRISPR).
• Moral status of the embryo and fetus.
• Ethical debates surrounding contraception and abortion.
• Maternal-fetal conflict.

• End-of-Life Care and Decision-Making

• Withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment.
• Palliative care and hospice ethics.
• Advance care planning, advance directives, and living wills.
• Determination of medical futility.
• Definitions of death (e.g., brain death, circulatory death).
• Ethical debates on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide/death.

• Research Ethics and Human Subjects Protection

• The role and function of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) and Research Ethics Committees (RECs).
• Informed consent in research, including for vulnerable populations (e.g., children, prisoners, cognitively impaired).
• The use of placebo in clinical trials.
• Conflicts of interest in biomedical research.
• Ethical conduct in genetics, stem cell, and translational research.
• Data sharing and research integrity.

• Health Policy, Justice, and Public Health Ethics

• Allocation of scarce medical resources (e.g., organs, ICU beds, novel therapies).
• Health equity, health disparities, and social determinants of health.
• Justice in healthcare systems and health insurance design.
• Ethics of public health interventions (e.g., mandatory vaccination, quarantine, screening programs).
• Global health ethics, including resource disparities and global health research.

• Ethics of Emerging Technologies

• Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in diagnostics and clinical decision-making.
• Neuroethics (e.g., cognitive enhancement, brain imaging, brain-computer interfaces).
• Ethical implications of genomics, personalized medicine, and big data.
• Human enhancement technologies versus therapy.
• Ethics of regenerative medicine and synthetic biology.