Medication monitoring and drug testing ethics project

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Payne, MD ◽  
Jeffrey L. Moe, PhD ◽  
Catherine Harvey Sevier, DrPH ◽  
David Sevier, MS ◽  
Michael Waitzkin, JD, LLM
Keyword(s):  
Drug Testing ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Voluntary Standards ◽  
Medication Monitoring ◽  
Testing Company ◽  
Business Code ◽  
Study Participants

In 2012, Duke University initiated a research project, funded by an unrestricted research grant from Millennium Laboratories, a drug testing company. The project focused on assessing the frequency and nature of questionable, unethical, and illegal business practices in the clinical drug testing industry and assessing the potential for establishing a business code of ethics. Laboratory leaders, clinicians, industry attorneys, ethicists, and consultants participated in the survey, were interviewed, and attended two face-to-face meetings to discuss a way forward.The study demonstrated broad acknowledgment of variations in the legal and regulatory environment, resulting in inconsistent enforcement of industry practices. Study participants expressed agreement that overtly illegal practices sometimes exist, particularly when laboratory representatives and clinicians discuss reimbursement, extent of testing, and potential business incentives with medical practitioners. Most respondents reported directly observing probable violations involving marketing materials, contracts, or, in the case of some individuals, directly soliciting people with offers of clinical supplies and other “freebies.”While many study respondents were skeptical that voluntary standards alone would eliminate questionable business practices, most viewed ethics codes and credentialing as an important first step that could potentially mitigate uneven enforcement, while improving quality of care and facilitating preferred payment options for credentialed parties. Many were willing to participate in future discussions and industry-wide initiatives to improve the environment.

scholarly journals A Qualitative Assessment of Kansas Tracking and Reporting of Controlled Substances (K-TRACS)

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 143-150
Author(s):  
Amy E. Curry ◽  
Trisha V. Melhado ◽  
Amy K. Chesser ◽  
Alisa Schmidt ◽  
Anne Burke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Prescription Medication ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Controlled Substances ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Medication Monitoring ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

Introduction. This study assessed the Kansas Tracking and Reporting of Controlled Substances system (K-TRACS), the online controlled prescription medication monitoring website in Kansas. The specific aims were to determine if and when pharmacists and physicians in Kansas were using K-TRACS and to identify any perceived benefits or barriers to using K-TRACS. Methods. A non-randomized, convenience sample of Kansas pharmacists and family physicians were interviewed face to face using a guided semi-structured questionnaire. NVivo 10 (QSR International Pty Ltd.) was used to analyze data. Results. Ten physicians and sixteen pharmacists were interviewed. All pharmacists and 70% of physicians were using K-TRACS. Usage was prompted by encounters with new patients or unease with the patient interaction. The perceived benefits included increased communication with the patient and all providers, increased provider comfort with treating chronic pain, and altered prescriber habits. Barriers to the use of K-TRACS were identified as login, password, and operating system problems. Conclusions. Among study participants, K-TRACS is used regularly, is perceived to be a benefit to providers, patients and communities, and has become a useful new tool in the treatment of chronic pain. K-TRACS is perceived to facilitate increased communication between providers and with patients.

scholarly journals Human 2.0: Behavioral Dissonance between Online and Offline Personal Traits, And Implications on e-Marketing Practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 18-25
Author(s):  
Moataz Kamel
Keyword(s):  
User Interfaces ◽  
Online Advertising ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Computer User ◽  
Personal Traits ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Primary Data Analysis ◽  
The Social

This research paper presents an attempt to explore the phenomenon of a consistent disconnection between the online and offline personality traits of Internet users. The research delves deeper into this notion, explores the possible drivers and stimulants, and then puts special emphasis on its implications and repercussions on various business aspects, such as online advertising and e-marketing techniques. The research uses a variety of instruments and tools, including structured observations, face-to-face interviews, online surveys, and mock computer User Interfaces designed specifically for the purpose of the experiments conducted as part of the primary data collection for the research. The paper then proceeds to analyze the primary data and presents an attempt to understand the phenomenon and its underlying stimulants. Finally, the paper presents a set of conclusions, again with more focus on marketing and business-related issues. The research, through its primary data analysis and rationalization, concludes that there is strong evidence that most internet users exhibit different facets of behavioral dissonance between their online and offline traits. The research also concludes that such dissonance may be induced by the social internet ecosystem and dynamics, rather than intrinsic tendencies in the users’ actual characters. The research also relates these findings with common business practices of successful online businesses and sheds the light on potential ethical dilemmas pertaining to internet businesses exploiting these phenomena (albeit sometimes unknowingly) to lure their users into buying products or to generate more traffic.

M-Governance

2014 ◽  
pp. 247-262
Author(s):  
Hilda Moraa ◽  
Anne Salim ◽  
Albert Otieno
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Channels ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Service Levels ◽  
Water Service ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Levels Of Service ◽  
Study Participants

iHub Research conducted a study on 896 citizens to establish whether citizens raise alarm when faced with problems related to water. The study aimed to ascertain the communication channels they use to forward complaints to relevant authorities and the level of satisfaction obtained by the citizens after their complaints have been received. The study found that 68% of the respondents had faced challenges while trying to access their main source of water and were not able to complain to anyone about the problems affecting them due to inexistence of appropriate communication channels. A lack of understanding with regards to whom or where to complain was cited as one of the major reasons as to why most respondents do not complain about the water service levels. Majority of the citizens interviewed use face-to-face communication to raise their water grievances. Levels of satisfaction were found to vary when it comes to rating the action taken on water complaints raised. This study opines that with the emergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) this scenario is poised to change. The study participants revealed that they are motivated to utilise ICTs to air their complaints with regards to their levels of service satisfaction. Emerging ICT applications, especially those accessible on mobile devices, provide a lot of promise for enhancing water service delivery in Kenya because feedback on water/service quality can be received ubiquitously.

The Importance of Nature in the Well-Being of Rural Elders

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra S. Butler ◽  
Adrienne L. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Rural Environments ◽  
Natural Beauty ◽  
Policy And Planning ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Rural Elders

This article presents two independent studies examining the experiences of older adults aging in rural environments in the United States. In face-to-face interviews, study participants (n = 66 in study 1 and n = 8 in study 2) were asked what they like about aging in a rural area and what they found challenging. Interview transcripts were analyzed for recurring themes in each study and striking similarities were found with regard to the importance of nature or “aesthetic capital” to the well-being of the study participants. Primary themes emerging from study 1 data included peace, safety, beauty, space, and interacting with nature. The themes emerging from the second study included the world outside the window, traveling around by car, and longing for natural beauty. A negative theme that emerged from both studies related to the dearth of health and social services in rural areas. Implications of the studies' findings with regard to the value of nature in the lives of elders are discussed in relation to practice, policy, and planning.

Lobbying

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunny Harris Rome ◽  
Sabrina Kiser
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Coalition Building ◽  
Federal Law ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Government Relations ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Written Materials

Lobbying is the process of influencing public policy. It involves developing and implementing strategies to persuade those in power. Consistent with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, many social workers contribute to lobbying campaigns to advance the well-being of their clients or to promote social justice; some social workers become professional lobbyists, focusing their careers on government relations work. Successful lobbying involves forming and nurturing relationships with decision makers and generating and sharing information. Key elements of a lobbying campaign include agenda setting, face-to-face meetings with policymakers, coalition building, field organizing, testifying, preparing written materials, and the strategic use of media. Social work education provides opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills necessary for engaging in lobbying efforts. Lobbying activity is regulated by federal law; it is important that social workers and their employers understand and comply with these rules, but social workers are encouraged to remain as active as possible within these parameters. Future challenges include the demand for evidence to support policy recommendations and the inadequate numbers of social workers pursuing lobbying as a career.

scholarly journals The Ethical Consumer and Codes of Ethics in the Fashion Industry

Laws ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rossella Esther Cerchia ◽  
Katherine Piccolo
Keyword(s):  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Codes Of Ethics ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Fashion Industry ◽  
Purchasing Decisions ◽  
Safety Standards ◽  
Hard Time ◽  
Ethical Consumer ◽  
Labor Safety ◽  
Corporate Social

Sustainability is a central challenge of the fashion industry. In an era where Internet and social networks allow information to spread quickly, more consumers are familiar with the call for “ethical fashion” as disasters such as Rana Plaza resound worldwide. However, consumers interested in buying “ethical” clothing could have a hard time orienting themselves amongst the abundance of brands claiming to be ethical on the market. Consumers might make purchasing decisions based on their knowledge of a brand. In this context, it is imaginable that corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications, including codes of ethics, could constitute one way a consumer can learn more about a company’s values. These codes may serve a variety of purposes—they are undoubtedly one of the ways a brand communicates its commitment to ethical principles. Indeed, by analyzing the codes of ethics of some of the industry’s well-known brands, it is evident that they primarily focus on employment and workers’ rights (including equality and discrimination issues), labor safety standards, bribery and anti-corruption, counterfeiting and unfair business practices, as well as respect for (and sometimes improvement of) the environment. A company’s code of ethics is also a powerful tool for improving brand image by adopting a code that responds to the issues that consumers care about. It is therefore necessary to distinguish between companies that are truly ethical and those that merely appear so. In order to protect consumer confidence in such documents, a fil rouge across legal systems may be found (although the specific characteristics may vary greatly) in the laws that protect consumers from misleading advertising.

Expanding a Music Therapy Business Using AMTA’s Aspirational Code of Ethics

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-37
Author(s):  
Meredith Roman Pizzi
Keyword(s):  
Music Therapy ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Applied Ethics ◽  
The United States ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Ethical Decisions ◽  
Therapy Services ◽  
Trust Law

Abstract While all music therapists look to the Code of Ethics as a guiding document, music therapists who are self-employed or managing teams rely heavily on this document to create sound business and administrative policies. This article articulates how the 2019 Code of Ethics informs the music therapy entrepreneur or manager to make thoughtful, accountable, and ethical decisions, decreases confusion about specific business practices, and addresses significant concerns related to aspects of the previous AMTA Code of Ethics that were in conflict with federal anti-trust regulations in the United States, including the Sherman Anti-Trust Law. To address the legal and ethical issues inherent in expanding a service business, a discussion guided by the 2019 Code of Ethics and the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics (2009) model is provided as a way to think through potential ethical dilemmas when considering subcontracting music therapy services.

Trends in drug use from urine drug testing of addiction treatment clients

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth L. Kirsh, PhD ◽  
Howard A. Heit, MD ◽  
Angela Huskey, PharmD, CPE ◽  
Jennifer Strickland, PharmD, BCPS ◽  
Kathleen Egan City, MA, BSN, RN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Drug Testing ◽  
Addiction Treatment ◽  
National Laboratory ◽  
Prescription Medication ◽  
Urine Drug Testing ◽  
Urine Drug ◽  
Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass ◽  
Testing Company ◽  
National Trends

Objective: Urine drug testing (UDT) can play an important role in the care of patients in recovery from addiction, and it has become necessary for providers and programs to utilize specific, accurate testing beyond what immunoassay (IA) provides.Design: A database of addiction treatment and recovery programs was sampled to demonstrate national trends in drug abuse and to explore potential clinical implications of differing results due to the type of testing utilized.Setting: Deidentified data was selected from a national laboratory testing company that had undergone liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LCMS/MS).Patients/Participants: A total of 4,299 samples were selected for study.Interventions: Descriptive statistics of the trends are presented. Results: In total, 48.5 percent (n = 2,082) of the samples were deemed in full agreement between the practice reports and the results of LC-MS/MS testing. The remaining 51.5 percent of samples fell into one of seven categories of unexpected results, with the most frequent being detection of an unreported prescription medication (n = 1,097).Conclusions: Results of UDT demonstrate that more than half of samples yield unexpected results from specimens collected in addiction treatment. When comparing results of IA and LC-MS/MS, it is important to consider the limits of IA in the detection of drug use by these patients.

Doing Research with the Indigenous People: An Autoethnography from the Ground

10.17158/210 ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reynaldo O. Cuizon ◽  
Arnulfo B. Ramos
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous People ◽  
Life Stories ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Ethical Standards ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Investigative Process ◽  
Vertical Test

What are the experiences of the researchers in doing research with Indigenous People (IP)? How do such experiences influence their thoughts, values, and advocacies with IP aspirations? What prognosis can be derived from their experiences? To answer such queries, a qualitative research was conducted and thereby revealed that the study participants describe research with IP as an in depth investigative process which upholds relevance, rigor, artistry and ethical standards.  It is undertaken through the use of diverse research methods like focus group discussion, survey, observation and in-depth interview, life stories or genealogy, three generation vertical test, document and photo analysis.  It involves face-to-face encounters, demands trustworthiness and credibility, and advances moral decency.  It enhances competence and boosts confidence not just in conducting ethnographic exploration but in pursuing the liberative education.  Furthermore, the participants developed the value of sensitivity to IP rights and culture, the virtue of respect to privacy, anonymity and confidentiality, the enthusiasm to share research-based knowledge through forums, conferences, meetings, trainings, and publications, and the solidarity and camaraderie with the IPs – immersion in their real life, discernment on their plight, and commitment in their struggle for their rights to ancestral domain and self-determination. Finally, for them, doing research with IP is noble. It is a call. <br />

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