Ethical considerations in chronic musculoskeletal disease

Abstract

Chronic diseases compromise the life of the sufferer, encumber their families, and exert intractable burdens on the health-care system. With the aging of the population, such conditions have become the primary determinants of morbidity and mortality and the leading cause of disability in our society. Despite the serious challenges they impose, the ethical discourse engendered by them has lagged behind that of acute care medicine. Of particular relevance are the challenges to individual autonomy, as the dilemmas arising in the chronic care setting have not only medical but personal and societal dimensions, may require the input of multiple participants, and resolve over longer periods of time. As such, the conventional model of autonomy is often inadequate to address problems in the chronic care setting. This paper deals with this dilemma through an examination of a clinical scenario. A framework for the exploration of ethical problems in the chronic care setting is thus presented.

A systematic review on workplace interventions to manage chronic musculoskeletal conditions

“…The World Health Organization (WHO, ) has highlighted that long‐term or chronic conditions require continuous management over many years or decades. The morbidity cost is notable as stretched health care services around the world face further financial pressures due to increasing numbers of people affected by chronic MSDs (MacKenzie & de Melo‐Martin, ). In addition, the aging workforce in Europe will mean increasing numbers of these people in the workforce, with implications for health care.…”

Association of ADAMTS4 and ADAMTS5 polymorphisms with musculoskeletal degenerative diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The incidence and prevalence of musculoskeletal degenerative diseases increase markedly with age, especially with the prolongation of human being lifespan over recent years [ 3–5 ]. Musculoskeletal degenerative diseases represent a great challenge to both patients and clinicians, and are becoming a serious public-health issue [ 6 , 7 ].…”

Evaluation of medical ethics competencies in rheumatology: local experience during national accreditation process

“…Physicians are expected to incorporate the current ethical discourse into their practice. Professionalism is demonstrated through a foundation of clinical competency, CS and ethical understanding,10 which may have distinctive characteristics in the rheumatology field 11 12…”