policy Archives - Baylor College of Medicine Blog Network

Equity in organ transplantation: Are we there yet?

July 28, 2023July 28, 2023 Equity, ethics, Health Disparities, health equity, kidney, liver, policy, Transplant

The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) released its latest policy updates on July 13, 2023, that aimed to improve equity in liver allocation. This update improved

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Eye’ve heard enough: today’s physician shortage

July 21, 2023July 21, 2023 eye care, eye exams, healthcare access, healthcare utilization, ophthalmologist, optometrist, physician shortage, policy

Two years ago, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) published a report that predicted a shortage of 134,000 physicians in the United States by

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Is it fair to be on multiple waitlists for an organ transplant?

March 10, 2023March 13, 2023 ethics, Multiple listing, Organ, Organ Transplant, policy, Transplant

Transplantation is a crucial treatment option for various end-organ diseases, and in the U.S., the demand for organ transplants outpaces the supply. One hotly debated

A neurosurgeon facing away from the camera while studying images of a patient.

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More than neurosurgeons: combatting firearm-related traumatic brain injury

September 16, 2022September 16, 2022 Brain, Firearm, Firearm-Related Traumatic Brain Injury (frTBI), Neurosurgeons, Neurosurgery, Pedatric, policy, trauma, traumatic brain injury

Firearm-related deaths in children and adolescents have reached a tipping point in the United States. In 2020, firearm-related injuries became the leading cause of death

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Inaccurate oxygen readings: the problem with pulse oximeters

August 19, 2022 Biases, FDA, inaccuracy, oxygen, policy, Pulse oximeters, racial and ethnic minority patients, regulatory requirements

Pulse oximeters are medical devices that measure how much oxygen is available in the body. This measurement, called the oxygen saturation, is a vital sign

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Alone at the hands of healthcare: hospital visitor policies during the COVID-19 pandemic

May 13, 2022May 13, 2022 COVID-19, Decision-making, Healthcare providers, Hospital Visitor Policies, Institutional Review Boards, policy

March 2021, a phone call from Caleb Iness: “Hey Audra, my friend’s dad is in the hospital with a stroke and no one can visit

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Environmental justice: How physical, social, and structural surroundings impact health

April 29, 2022April 28, 2022 Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine, Discrimination, ealth outcomes, Environment, Environmental Justice, ethics, Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health, Marginalized Communities, policy

The environment—everything from the water we drink to the conditions in which we live—impacts health. Environmental justice is a broad term or movement that at