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Abortion is a controversial topic that has long been debated in the US. With the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, access to safe and legal reproductive care is once again in the national spotlight. A key issue central to this debate is patient privacy, as in the post-HITECH Act era it has become easier for medical records to be electronically accessed and shared. This study analyzed a large Twitter dataset from May to December 2022 to examine the publics reactions to Roe v. Wades overruling and its implications for privacy. Using a mixed-methods approach consisting of computational and qualitative content analysis, we found a wide range of concerns voiced from the confidentiality of patient-physician information exchange to medical records being shared without patient consent. These findings may inform policy making and healthcare industry practices concerning medical privacy related to reproductive rights and womens health.

IntroductionIn Nepal, abortion is legal on request through 12 weeks of pregnancy and up to 28 weeks for health and other reasons. Abortion is available at public facilities at no cost and by trained private providers. Yet, over half of abortions are provided outside this legal system. We sought to investigate the extent to which patients are denied an abortion at clinics legally able to provide services and factors associated with presenting late for care, being denied, and receiving an abortion after being denied.MethodsWe used data from a prospective longitudinal study with 1835 women aged 15-45. Between April 2019 and December 2020, we recruited 1,835 women seeking abortions at 22 sites across Nepal, including those seeking care at any gestational age (n = 537) and then only those seeking care at or after 10 weeks of gestation or do not know their gestational age (n = 1,298). We conducted interviewer-led surveys with these women at the time they were seeking abortion service (n = 1,835), at six weeks after abortion-seeking (n = 1523) and six-month intervals for three years. Using descriptive and multivariable logistic regression models, we examined factors associated with presenting for abortion before versus after 10 weeks gestation, with receiving versus being denied an abortion, and with continuing the pregnancy after being denied care. We also described reasons for the denial of care and how and where participants sought abortion care subsequent to being denied. Mixed-effects models was used to accounting clustering effect at the facility level.ResultsAmong those recruited when eligibility included seeking abortion at any gestational age, four in ten women sought abortion care beyond 10 weeks or did not know their gestation and just over one in ten was denied care. Of the full sample, 73% were at or beyond 10 weeks gestation, 44% were denied care, and 60% of those denied continued to seek care after denial. Nearly three-quarters of those denied care were legally eligible for abortion, based on their gestation and pre-existing conditions. Women with lower socioeconomic status, including those who were younger, less educated, and less wealthy, were more likely to present later for abortion, more likely to be turned away, and more likely to continue the pregnancy after denial of care.ConclusionDenial of legal abortion care in Nepal is common, particularly among those with fewer resources. The majority of those denied in the sample should have been able to obtain care according to Nepal's abortion law. Abortion denial could have significant potential implications for the health and well-being of women and their families in Nepal.

On June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion, resulting in wide variability in access from severe restrictions in many states and fewer restrictions in others. Healthcare institutions capture information about patients pregnancy and abortion care and, due to interoperability, may share it in ways that expose their providers and patients to social stigma and potential legal jeopardy in states with severe restrictions. In this article, we describe sources of risk to patients and providers that arise from interoperability and specify actions that institutions can take to reduce that risk. Institutions have significant power to define their practices for how and where care is documented, how patients are identified, where data are sent or hosted, and how patients are counseled, and thus should protect patients privacy and ability to receive medical care that is safe and legal where it is performed.

Insurance is a financial means in household life, both in the face of basic risks such as the risk of death, or in the face of risks for property owned. The type of research that will be used in this study is normative research, normative research is often referred to as the type of literature research, specifically using legal sources in the form of laws and regulations, jurisprudence, contracts / agreements, legal theories and academic opinions. After looking at the description of the discussion, it can be concluded that an appointment clause is needed in determining the rights and position of heirs in a life insurance policy compared to ab intestato heirs and testamentair heirs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) has attracted considerable ethical, legal, and social scrutiny, but academic debate often fails to reflect clinical realities. Methods: Addressing this disconnect, a review of 506 articles from 1999 to 2019 across humanities and social sciences was conducted to synthesize the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) of PGT. This review mined PubMed, WoS, and Scopus databases, using both MeSH terms and keywords to map out the research terrain. Results: The findings reveal a tenfold increase in global research output on PGT's ELSI from 1999 to 2019, signifying rising interest and concern. Despite heightened theoretical discourse on selecting "optimal" offspring, such practices were scarcely reported in clinical environments. Conversely, critical issues like PGT funding and familial impacts remain underexplored. Notably, 86% of the ELSI literature originates from just 12 countries, pointing to a research concentration. Conclusion: This review underscores an urgent need for ELSI research to align more closely with clinical practice, promoting collaborations among ethicists, clinicians, policymakers, and economists. Such efforts are essential for grounding debates in practical relevance, ultimately steering PGT towards ethical integrity, societal acceptance, and equitable access, aiming to harmonize PGT research with real-world clinical concerns, enhancing the relevance and impact of future ethical discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional neurological disorders (FND) and somatization are common in clinical practice and medicolegal settings. These conditions are frequently disabling and, if arising following an accident, may lead to claims for legal compensation or occupational disability (such as social security disability insurance). However, distinguishing FND and somatization from symptoms that are intentionally produced (i.e., malingered or factitious) may pose a major forensic psychiatric challenge. In this article, we describe how somatoform disorders and FND lie along a spectrum of abnormal illness‐related behaviors, including factitious disorder, compensation neurosis, and malingering. We provide a systematic approach to the forensic assessment of FND and conclude by describing common litigation scenarios in which FND may be at issue. Forensic testimony may play an important role in the resolution of such cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online hate speech has significantly increased, particularly on social media, as a result of the internet's democratization of communication. This is an excellent illustration of how technology has both benefits and drawbacks. The investigation seeks to discover abusive comments on Indonesian social media. The goal of this study is to use a forensic linguistics approach to look at abusive comments on Indonesian social media (Instagram) that could lead to legal offenses. This study employs descriptive qualitative research methods. The study used the speech act theory of Austin (1962) and Searle (1969). The utterances are examined and evaluated within the context of Indonesian legal regulations. The data was obtained from @lambe_turah account (2022). The analysis's findings show that hate speech expresses negative attitudes. This can be seen in acts of insults (expressive speech). Based on the research's findings, it can be concluded that abusive comments are implicit in nature and contain implied meanings. Furthermore, there was a criminal act committed in the comments shared on Indonesian social media platforms, which involved the intentional expression of animosity towards a specific individual or group. This statement has the potential to spark communal anger and frustration because it is presented publicly and can be viewed by a large number of people. The exhaustive analysis contributes to a deeper comprehension of the potential legal implications of hate speech on social media. Additionally, the significance of courteous language is emphasized through adherence to established norms and laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a comprehensive list of references and citations from various sources related to dissociation in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The sources cover a wide range of topics including definitions and research on dissociation, treatment guidelines for complex PTSD, the neurobiology of emotional trauma, the impact of trauma on long-term memory, and the neural basis of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. The document also includes references to studies on shame and guilt in traumatic events, the accuracy of traumatic memories, the role of memory suppression in resilience after trauma, and the induction of false beliefs and memories in laboratory studies. Other topics covered include gray matter volume alterations related to dissociation in PTSD, animal defensive reactions as a model for trauma-induced dissociation, trauma-related shame, therapy-induced false memories, and the persistence of belief in unconscious repressed memory. The document also includes references to studies on the neurobiology of depersonalization, factors associated with resilience in healthy adults, memory distortion for traumatic events, criminal victimization, barriers to reporting sexual assault, and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: Medical malpractice claims in our country, which ranks among the nations with a high frequency of esthetic interventions according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), have been on the rise. This study aims to evaluate the claims of medical malpractice related to medical interventions for esthetic purposes. Materials and Methods: Files belonging to esthetic medical interventions which were referred from the court and the official institutions or were applicant individually for the purpose of identifying the malpractice between 2011 and 2022 to our institution were reviewed. Results: One hundred cases (82% - female, 18% - male, average age: 35.6) were evaluated. It was determined that 57% of the cases were sent from the consumer court, 33% from the court of first instance, and 7% of them were individual applications. Eighty percent of the cases were operated in operating room conditions, while 20% were office-type interventional procedures. It was determined that 84% of medical practices were performed by doctors and 16% by nonphysicians. After 2016, 85% of cases were referred from the consumer court. Above half of the whole cases (54.2%) had medical malpractice. The most important reason for medical malpractice was the lack of or insufficient informed consent. Conclusion: To prevent errors in esthetic medical interventions, it is necessary to comply with the legal regulations, to have a responsible physician in office-type interventions, to duly prepare and obtain (sign and hide) informed consent, to make the surgery/intervention plan, and to manage complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Article 20 of the Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code addresses the concept of real competition of infractions, which occurs when the same person commits several autonomous and independent actions that conform to different criminal types. In this case, the sentences are added without exceeding forty years in total. Although the legal text defines this concept, it does not specify how it should be applied procedurally. This lack of clarity has led to the fact that, in practice, these behaviours, although independent, are judged in a single criminal proceeding. Therefore, it is necessary to determine whether this violates due process and whether it is necessary to hold separate trials to guarantee the accused adequate time to exercise his right to defence. This investigation concluded that the actual concurrence of infractions can generate consequences in determining the penalty, since the accumulation of penalties provided for each type of crime is considered. Therefore, in this type of competition, correctly individualising the penalties for each crime the subject commits is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preventive detention is a measure of deprivation of personal liberty that is applied to a person during an investigation to ensure their appearance in the judicial process, even without a prior sentence. It is a judicial decision made to order the preventive detention of an individual accused of committing a crime, to ensure that the process is not obstructed or delayed. This precautionary measure is the most extreme since it implies deprivation of liberty and must meet certain requirements to be applied by the judge in charge of the case. In conclusion, the theoretical and legal bases that support preventive detention contrast notably with the real situation in Ecuador, evidencing a legal problem in the country. In this context, a judicial system influenced by the media is observed, where judges and prosecutors usually accuse and hand down sentences based on public opinion, without respecting the limits established by Criminal Law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To fully appreciate the importance of legal research in the educational field, it is crucial to understand that legal science, being a dogmatic inference, represents an intrasystematic intellectual activity, rooted in the very structure of the legal system. In this context, qualitative research is valued as a fundamental means of accessing scientific knowledge for both the law student and the future professional in the legal field. The research was carried out at the UNIANDES headquarters in Babahoyo, involving third semester students. This study provided a valuable approach to the topic, highlighting the relevance of qualitative research in the educational process of future jurists. The general conclusions of the study highlight the importance of qualitative research models in the development of research in the field of legal sciences. The results of this research offer an insightful perspective on how the application of qualitative approaches can enrich knowledge and understanding of the law. Furthermore, they underscore the need to integrate legal research into the educational curriculum to prepare law students more fully and effectively for the challenges of professional practice. Ultimately, this study highlights the importance of legal research as an integral part of the educational process in the formation of competent and reflective jurists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of the business world is strongly influenced by the business world as one of the economic actors, including the banking business. The business world is also very dependent on the conduciveness of the business climate that supports it. If the business climate conditions are not conducive, it will affect the stability of the business world, and can even cause business actors to suffer losses, which results in the capability and credibility of business actors in carrying out their business activities being disrupted, and can even result in bankruptcy. To maintain the smooth running of their business, business actors must obtain guaranteed protection through legal instruments established by the government. Legal protection given to banks as creditors is needed in maintaining business continuity. This legal protection is very important, considering that banking is an economic joint that supports the most vital national economy. Filing for bankruptcy which requires a minimum of 2 (two) creditors for a bankrupt debtor using the Postponement of Debt Payment Obligation mechanism based on the bankruptcy law and PKPU does not provide a guarantee of sufficient legal protection for creditors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature of lawsuits involving interventional radiologists (IRs) is not well understood. The purposes of this article are to provide an overview of the causes of action underlying medical malpractice lawsuits related to IRs and to characterize the associated factors and outcomes. Two large legal databases were used to search for US legal cases in which there were jury awards and settlements involving IRs in the United States. Cases were screened to include only those cases in which the cause of action involved negligence on the part of IRs. A total of 389 published case summaries were identified, of which 93 were eligible to be included in the analysis. In 46% of the cases (43 of 93), medical malpractice was alleged against an individual IR, whereas in 43% (40 of 93), it was alleged against both an individual IR and a health care institution. Thirty-five percent of IR malpractice cases (33 of 93) involved the performance of a vascular procedure, most commonly embolization procedures (30% [n = 10]), stenting or angioplasty (21% [n = 7]), and diagnostic arteriography and angiography (18% [n = 6]). Twenty-six percent of cases (24 of 93) involved IR performance of a biopsy. Eighteen percent of cases (17 of 93) involved a failure to gain informed consent in addition to an allegation of medical negligence during treatment. Eleven percent of cases (10 of 93) were resolved by settlement, with an average settlement amount of $877,500 (range, $200,000-$2,700,000). Among the 72 cases that went to trial, 74% (53 of 72) resulted in judgments for the defendants, and 26% (19 of 72) resulted in judgements for the plaintiffs, with an average award of $2,012,243 (range, $101,667-$6,400,000). Vascular procedures and biopsies were the most frequent reasons for malpractice lawsuits involving IRs. Failure to gain informed consent in addition to an allegation of medical negligence during treatment was not infrequent. Although the majority of published medical malpractice claims involving IRs resulted in judgments in favor of the defendants, the average amount awarded to plaintiffs was higher compared with previous data reported for all physicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) has drastically changed many facets of contemporary society, including the legal system and its ramifications. The legal ramifications of AI technology growth are examined in this abstract. The capacity of AI to make decisions on its own poses serious concerns about responsibility. It may be difficult for traditional legal theories to determine who is responsible for harm caused by AI systems that operate without human input. Legislators and courts throughout the world are having difficulty coming up with legal guidelines that would hold AI itself, its users, or even its creators liable for damages. As AI offers previously unheard-of capacities for data collecting and processing, privacy problems are a major concern. Strict guidelines on data handling procedures and openness are imposed by laws such as the CCPA in California and the GDPR in Europe, which aim to strike a balance between innovation and individual rights. AI-generated content presents new problems for intellectual property laws, igniting discussions about copyright and ownership. It is getting more and harder to define authorship and ownership in the age of automated content generation and algorithmic creations. The legal environment surrounding AI is further complicated by ethical issues. Robust legal dealings are necessary because of issues like algorithmic bias, prejudice, and the ethical application of AI in sensitive fields like criminal justice. In conclusion, even if AI has the potential to be a game-changer, its legal ramifications demand that privacy, liability, intellectual property, and ethical norms be carefully considered. To ensure AI's incorporation into society is in line with core values of justice, fairness, and accountability, addressing these issues requires interdisciplinary collaboration between legal scholars, legislators, technologists, and ethicists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Some people with dementia develop changes in behaviour and cognition that may lead to interactions with police or the legal system. However, large, prospective case–control studies examining these behaviours are lacking. METHODS: One hundred and forty‐four people with dementia and 53 controls completed the Misdemeanours and Transgressions Screener. RESULTS: Criminal risk behaviours were reported in: 65.6% of behavioural‐variant frontotemporal dementia, 46.2% of right‐lateralised semantic dementia, and 27.0% of Alzheimer's disease patients. In 19.1% of patients these behaviours led to contact with police or authority figures. Compared to controls, people with dementia showed higher rates of physical assault (p = 0.024), financial/professional recklessness (p = 0.009), and inappropriate behaviours (p = 0.052). DISCUSSION: Criminal risk behaviours are common across dementia subtypes and may be one of the first clinical signs of frontotemporal dementia. Further research to understand how to balance risk minimisation with an individual's liberties as well as the inappropriate criminalisation of people with dementia is needed. Highlights: The Misdemeanours and Transgressions Screener is a new tool to assess criminal risk behaviours.Forty‐seven percent of patients with dementia show criminal risk behaviour after dementia onset.Behaviours included verbal abuse, traffic violations, physical assault.New onset of criminal risk behaviours >50 years is a clinical sign for frontotemporal dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In the United States, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have Good Samaritan Laws (GSLs). Designed to encourage bystanders to aid at the scene of an emergency, GSLs generally limit the risk of civil tort liability if the care is rendered in good faith. Nation-wide, a leading cause of preventable death is uncontrolled external hemorrhage. Public bleeding control initiatives aim to train the public to recognize life-threatening external bleeding, perform life-sustaining interventions (including direct pressure, tourniquet application, and wound packing), and to promote access to bleeding control equipment to ensure a rapid response from bystanders. Methods: This study sought to identify the GSLs in each state and the District of Columbia to identify what type of responder is covered by the law (eg, all laypersons, only trained individuals, or only licensed health care providers) and if bleeding control is explicitly included or excluded in their Good Samaritan coverage. Results: Good Samaritan Laws providing civil liability qualified immunity were identified in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. One state, Oklahoma, specifically includes bleeding control in its GSLs. Six states – Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, and Missouri – have laws that define those covered under Good Samaritan immunity, generally limiting protection to individuals trained in a standard first aid or resuscitation course or health care clinicians. No state explicitly excludes bleeding control from their GSLs, and one state expressly includes it. Conclusion: Nation-wide across the United States, most states have broad bystander coverage within GSLs for emergency medical conditions of all types, including bleeding emergencies, and no state explicitly excludes bleeding control interventions. Some states restrict coverage to those health care personnel or bystanders who have completed a specific training program. Opportunity exists for additional research into those states whose GSLs may not be inclusive of bleeding control interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study is to investigate the diversity in the laws and regulations and the cultural milieu in which corporations operate in the UK and Pakistan which led to the differences and similarities in CSR practices. This research aims to evaluate and compare the incorporation of term, definition, influence of religion, role of civil societies, governmental actions, spending, reporting, national strategies, visibility, spectrum, transparency, financial aspects, sustainable activities, awards culture and educational programs, legal and regulatory frameworks of CSR practices in two regions of the world namely the British isle, and Pakistan. This qualitative study is conducted through comparative research analysis. The study results revealed that CSR activities coupled with similarities and differences are shifting from philanthropy to sustainability, the CSR movement in most of the nations is yet to gain the mainstream acceptance as it enjoys in the developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report explorations into prompt engineering with large pre-trained language models that were not fine-tuned to solve the legal entailment task (Task 4) of the 2023 COLIEE competition. Our most successful strategy used simple text similarity measures to retrieve articles and queries from the training set. We report on our efforts to optimize performance with both OpenAI's GPT-4 and FLaN-T5. We also used an ensemble approach to find the best combination of models and prompts. Finally, we analyze our results and suggest ideas for future improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Competition on Legal Information Extraction and Entailment (COLIEE) is a well-known international competition organized each year with the goal of applying machine learning algorithms and techniques in the analysis and understanding of legal documents. Two main applications of using machine learning in this domain are entailment and information retrieval. In the realm of legal text analysis, the scarcity of annotated data poses a significant challenge for training robust models. To address this limitation, we employ data augmentation methods to artificially expand the training dataset, enhancing the model's ability to generalize across diverse legal contexts. Additionally, our approach harnesses the power of a state-of-the-art language model, enabling the extraction of nuanced legal information and improving entailment predictions. We evaluate the performance of our methodology on datasets from the competition, showcasing its effectiveness in achieving competitive results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The evolution of eHealth development has shifted from standalone tools to comprehensive digital health environments, fostering data exchange among diverse stakeholders and systems. Nevertheless, existing research and implementation frameworks have primarily emphasized technological and organizational aspects of eHealth implementation, overlooking the intricate legal, ethical, and financial considerations. It is essential to discover what legal, ethical, financial, and technological challenges should be considered to ensure successful and sustainable implementation of eHealth. Objective: This review aims to provide insights into barriers and facilitators of legal, ethical, financial, and technological aspects for successful implementation of complex eHealth technologies, which impacts multiple levels and multiple stakeholders. Methods: A scoping review was conducted by querying PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ACM Digital Library (2018-2023) for studies describing the implementation process of eHealth technologies that facilitate data exchange. Studies solely reporting clinical outcomes or conducted outside Europe were excluded. Two independent reviewers selected the studies. A conceptual framework was constructed through axial and inductive coding, extracting data from literature on legal, ethical, financial, and technological aspects of eHealth implementation. This framework guided systematic extraction and interpretation. Results: The search resulted in 7.308 studies that were screened for eligibility, of which 35 (0.48%) were included. Legal barriers revolve around data confidentiality and security, necessitating clear regulatory guidelines. Ethical barriers span consent, responsibility, liability, and validation complexities, necessitating robust frameworks. Financial barriers stem from inadequate funding, requiring (commercial) partnerships and business models. Technological issues include interoperability, integration, and malfunctioning, necessitating strategies for enhancing data reliability, improving accessibility, and aligning eHealth technology with existing systems for smoother integration. Conclusions: This research highlights the multifaceted nature of eHealth implementation, encompassing legal, ethical, financial, and technological considerations. Collaborative stakeholder engagement is paramount for effective decision-making and aligns with the transition from standalone eHealth tools to integrated digital health environments. Identifying suitable stakeholders and recognizing their stakes and values enriches implementation strategies with expertise and guidance across all aspects. Future research should explore the timing of these considerations and practical solutions for regulatory compliance, funding, navigation of responsibility and liability, and business models for reimbursement strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Infertility remains a global challenge, with assisted reproductive technology (ART) progressively gaining relevance in developing countries, including Ghana. However, associated ethicolegal challenges have not received the needed policy attention. This study explored the legal and ethical challenges of ART practice in Ghana. Design: The study employed an exploratory phenomenological approach to examine ART in Ghana, focusing on ethics and law governing this practice. Participants: Respondents were ART practitioners, managers, facility owners, representatives of surrogacy/gamete donor agencies, and regulatory body representatives. Methods: A semistructured interview guide was used to collect data. The indepth interviews were audiotaped, and responses transcribed for analysis through coding, followed by generation of themes and subthemes, supported with direct quotes. Results: It emerged that there are no ethical and legal frameworks for ART practice in Ghana, and this adversely affects ART practice. Ethical challenges identified border on informed consent, clients’ privacy and clinical data protection, gamete donation issues, multiple gestations, single parenting, and social and religious issues. The legal challenges identified include the nonexistence of a legal regime for regulating ART practice and the absence of a professional body with clearcut guidelines on ART practice. In the absence of legal and ethical frameworks in Ghana, practitioners intimated they do comply with internationally accepted principles and general ethics in medical practice. Conclusion: There are no regulations on ART in Ghana. Legal and ethical guidelines are essential to the provision of safe and successful ART practices to protect providers and users. Governmental efforts to regulate Ghana need to be prioritized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legal reasoning is concerned with solving particular cases according to general rules. It is a complex cognitive process. The logicist approach proposes an explanation based on logical inference only. Such emphasis on coherence results in a certain indifference to content. On the contrary, extra-logical theories value the contents without dismissing the importance of the syllogism. The hypothesis of this study states that social contents are relevant for legal reasoning in rulings of the Argentine Supreme Court generated between the years 2000 and 2023. A descriptive study was conducted. It employed computational resources to perform cognitive linguistic analysis. A regression model compatible with the evaluated hypothesis was generated. It is concluded that social content is relevant. The elaboration of new cognitive models of legal reasoning that integrate logical factors with extra-logical factors is promoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This article concerns interpreter-mediated Mental Health Act (MHA) (1983) assessments where either a signed or spoken language interpreter is required. It reports data from 132 Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) in England who have direct experience of such circumstances addressing expertise, training, readiness, and potential influences on the outcome when interpreters are involved. Quantitative data were collected by means of an online survey analyzed descriptively with additional open-ended qualitative responses analyzed thematically. Findings: More interpreter-mediated MHA assessments were reported as occurring in hospital than in community settings. Although AMHPs were confident in their expertise, nearly two-thirds felt they were less effective when an interpreter was involved. The vast majority had received only minimal training on how to work with an interpreter. Recording of language and interpreter use in the assessment was revealed as inconsistent. Most AMHPs thought incorrectly that interpreters were subject to mandatory registration with assured minimum standards of qualification and expertise. Practical problems associated with the timeliness of access to interpreters and complexities of using telephone interpreters instead of face to face were raised. AMHPs expressed a wish for more training and guidance including expectations of the interpreter role. Applications: Consistent standards of formal recording of interpreter use as part of annual monitoring of the MHA are required to understand any potential inequities of outcome resulting from language mediation. Joint training with interpreters is desirable with more specific guidance and resources for working AMHPs and interpreters to promote best practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSIs) of digital health are important when researchers and practitioners are using technology to collect, process, or store personal health data. Evidence underscores a strong need for digital health ELSI training, yet little is known about the specific ELSI topic areas that researchers and practitioners would most benefit from learning. To identify ELSI educational needs, a needs assessment survey was administered to the members of the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM). We sought to identify areas of ELSI proficiency and training need, and also evaluate interest and expertise in ELSI topics by career level and prior ELSI training history. The 14-item survey distributed to SBM members utilized the Digital Health Checklist tool (see recode.health/tools) and included items drawn from the four-domain framework: data management, access and usability, privacy and risk to benefit assessment. Respondents (N = 66) were majority faculty (74.2%) from psychology or public health. Only 39.4% reported receiving "formal" ELSI training. ELSI topics of greatest interest included practices that supported participant engagement, and dissemination and implementation of digital tools beyond the research setting. Respondents were least experienced in managing "bystander" data, having discussions about ELSIs, and reviewing terms of service agreements and privacy policies with participants and patients. There is opportunity for formalized ELSI training across career levels. Findings serve as an evidence base for continuous and ongoing evaluation of ELSI training needs to support scientists in conducting ethical and impactful digital health research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undergraduate social work students are exposed to ethical and legal dilemmas during their fieldwork training. This article presents a study that examined these ethical dilemmas in an Israeli sample of undergraduate social work students. 117 students who participated in a course in ethics submitted 31 written presentations of ethical-dilemma analysis. Their oral presentations were recorded and transcribed. Using a qualitative analysis, three major themes emerged: 1. The tension between the duty to maintain client's confidentiality and its violation under certain conditions; 2. The students' conflict of loyalty toward the client vs. the organization; 3. The question of the clients' right to self-determination when, in the student's view, this is against their best interests. Our findings point to the vital role of an ethics course in the social work undergraduate curriculum that can enhance students' knowledge of specific laws relevant to the limits of confidentiality in social work and their ability to analyze ethical dilemmas as future professionals. Furthermore, it is essential to raise awareness in educators and supervisors concerning moral distress that may afflict students coping with ethical dilemmas at this early professional developmental phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, South Korea implemented the Green New Deal, and in 2022, it officially proposed the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. To effectively promote the development of green buildings in South Korea, it is crucial to analyze their evolutionary trends and processes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to summarize and predict the development trajectory of green buildings in South Korea by studying the research and development trends in this field. Accordingly, this study used content analysis as a research method to analyze 89 research papers and their subject words published from 2001 to 2023. Further in-depth analysis was conducted on five sub-dimensions: technical, economic, legal, systemic, and the popularization and development of green buildings. Since 2000, research has mainly focused on the improvement and development of evaluation index systems and the exploration of energy-saving technologies. In terms of the research and development of green building materials, there is a problem of slow development. In terms of green building management, there is a lack of specific management methods or systematic research. Economic aspects should be studied from the consumers' perspective. Hence, opportunities and challenges coexist and require joint efforts from the government, academia, enterprises, and other parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of Review: To provide a guide for physicians serving as an expert witness in all kinds of cases. Recent Findings: Different societies proposed different guidelines for physicians serving as an expert witness. We wanted to summarize all recommendations in our article to provide a comprehensive guide to all physicians from different specialties. There is some overlap in recommendations, and it is important for physicians from different specialties to be aware of all recommendations proposed. Summary: It is very important for any health care provider who serves as an expert witness for personal injury or other cases to understand the guidelines around this process and best practices [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The juvenile justice system has long struggled with practices for understanding, preventing, and intervening in delinquency. Debates concerning youth delinquency, diversion efforts, and effective rehabilitation have consistently been examined. However, the answers to most of these fundamental approaches remain unresolved. Mental health is a major concern for juveniles under a correctional treatment program, but the juvenile justice system lacks individualized mental health services, having devastating and unfair results on youth in need. Through research, professional development, and advocacy, youth who are especially vulnerable to experiencing the undesired outcomes that result from receiving inadequate and inappropriate services will gain better outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital currencies are likely to modify the way businesses, people and governments transact in Africa. Nonetheless, several factors need to be assessed before the wide adoption of digital currencies in the continent. These factors include the regulatory environment for fintech, the condition of digital infrastructure and the degree of financial inclusion. This paper assesses the readiness of African countries for the issuance of digital currencies. The paper gives an overview of the African countries that have implemented or are considering implementing digital countries. It discusses the issues to be considered for a conducive environment to launch digital currencies. It explores the opportunities and challenges of developing and issuing digital currencies in Africa. The paper finds that although the developed mobile money network infrastructure, high mobile money penetration, the growth of the digital economy and high degrees of financial exclusion position Africa well for the adoption of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), several challenges need to be addressed. These encompass lower levels of financial inclusion, digital exclusion, the digital divide, poor digital infrastructure and regulatory uncertainty. The paper provides recommendations for improving the prospects of digital currencies in Africa. These include the creation of a legal and regulatory framework for digital currencies, investing in digital infrastructure, improving internet connectivity and educating citizens on digital currencies. Digital currencies can lead to improved economic growth, increase cross border payments, promote financial inclusion and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyber blackmail is a crime wherein an individual or corporation threatens to release a victim's private data on social media. As it is a type of crime that expands as technology improves, the rules governing it must be regularly updated and evaluated as and when the crime changes to prevent these rules from becoming obsolete. Multiple amendments must be made to the Republic of Iraq's legislation to enable the country to punish individuals who exploit victims of cyber blackmail. Therefore, this study examines the efficacy of cyber blackmail law by discussing the characteristics of cyber blackmail, the contemporary issues surrounding it, and the relevant national legislation and regulations governing it in Iraq, the United States (U.S.), and Malaysia. Analytical and descriptive approaches were used to define, examine, and analyse the issue from all angles. As a result, Iraqi lawmakers were observed to lack a sincere commitment to passing a potent law targeting cyber blackmail, either through revisions to the Penal Code or by endorsing the draft of the Cybercrime Bill (2011). An analysis of the offense's attributes revealed that its central feature is extortion, coupled with elements of criminal intimidation designed to instill fear in the victim, compelling them to yield to the devious perpetrator's malevolent intentions. The article concludes by offering suggestions to stakeholders on enhancing their approach to addressing this problem.

Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT 4 (OpenAI), Claude 2 (Anthropic), and Llama 2 (Meta AI) have emerged as novel technologies to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into everyday work. LLMs in particular, and AI in general, carry infinite potential to streamline clinical workflows, outsource resource-intensive tasks, and disburden the healthcare system. While a plethora of trials is elucidating the untapped capabilities of this technology, the sheer pace of scientific progress also takes its toll. Legal guidelines hold a key role in regulating upcoming technologies, safeguarding patients, and determining individual and institutional liabilities. To date, there is a paucity of research work delineating the legal regulations of Language Models and AI for clinical scenarios in plastic and reconstructive surgery. This knowledge gap poses the risk of lawsuits and penalties against plastic surgeons. Thus, we aim to provide the first overview of legal guidelines and pitfalls of LLMs and AI for plastic surgeons. Our analysis encompasses models like ChatGPT, Claude 2, and Llama 2, among others, regardless of their closed or open-source nature. Ultimately, this line of research may help clarify the legal responsibilities of plastic surgeons and seamlessly integrate such cutting-edge technologies into the field of PRS.

This article presents a novel contribution in the judicial field through the analysis of the social representation of expert reports in judgments handed down in Spain from 2000 to 2019. Social expert opinions are presented as evidence in judicial proceedings to assist judges in their decision-making, and despite their distinction and contribution, they currently represent an underexplored field. The purpose of this article is relevant in that it allows evidence to be generated through the analysis of the themes or issues that appear in judgments together with the content used by judges to uphold or reject claims. The strategy for this analysis is based on lexicometry using Iramuteq software, which allows us to deepen and categorise the lexical worlds, the type of relationships established between terms, as well as the contextual-relational dimension of the conditions of production of the judges' discourse around the social expert report.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly changing the way we work and the way we live. The emergence of ChatGPT has thrust AI, especially Generative AI, into the spotlight. The societal impact of AI is on most people's minds. This article presents several research projects on how AI impacts work and society. Three research works are discussed in this article. The first study develops a theoretical framework structuring the legal and ethical objectives that are needed and the means to achieve them. The second study concentrates on bias and discrimination issues embedded in AI applications. It focuses on enhancing the collaboration between AI users and AI systems to alleviate bias and discrimination issues. The third study focuses on the governance of AI, and the study will design and develop an integrated AI governance framework to help guide the design and development of AI applications and facilitate the evolutions and revolutions of ethical AI systems.

ObjectiveAlthough abortion in Nepal is broadly legal and free of charge, many women seek abortion care outside the legal system, including from pharmacies. We evaluated the prevalence of, and factors associated with, prior unsuccessful abortion attempts among women presenting to 14 randomly-selected government approved abortion health facilities across Nepal.MethodsEligible participants were recruited in 2019 by trained research staff from certified abortion facilities. Participants (n = 1160) completed research staff-administered baseline surveys. We used multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression models to evaluate factors associated with having attempted pharmacy abortion prior to coming to the health facility.ResultsAlmost one in seven (14%) women had tried to end their pregnancy before presenting to a participating clinic, often (9%) using medication obtained from a pharmacy. Women who lived farther from the clinic (aOR 1.28 per log hours travel time, 95% CI 1.10-1.49) and who reported financial difficulty in accessing the clinic (19% vs. 10%, aOR 2.10, 95% CI 1.20-3.70) had increased odds of having tried to access abortion through a pharmacy.ConclusionIntegrating pharmacies into the legal network of abortion providers may improve access to safe care, particularly for rural women with financial and practical travel limitations.

This cross-sectional study evaluates whether internet searches for abortion medications increased following the leak of a draft Supreme Court of the United States ruling that would overturn the 1973 Roe v Wade decision.

Abstract Background Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become a core diagnostic tool for many physicians due to its portability, excellent safety profile, and diagnostic utility. Despite its growing use, the potential risks of POCUS use should be considered by providers. We analyzed the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) repository to identify medico-legal cases arising from the use of POCUS. Methods We retrospectively searched the CMPA closed-case repository for cases involving diagnostic POCUS between January 1st, 2012 and December 31st, 2021. Cases included civil-legal actions, medical regulatory authority (College) cases, and hospital complaints. Patient and physician demographics, outcomes, reason for complaint, and expert-identified contributing factors were analyzed. Results From 2012 to 2021, there were 58,626 closed medico-legal cases in the CMPA repository with POCUS determined to be a contributing factor for medico-legal action in 15 cases; in all cases the medico-legal outcome was decided against the physicians. The most common reasons for patient complaints were diagnostic error, deficient assessment, and failure to perform a test or intervention. Expert analysis of these cases determined the most common contributing factors for medico-legal action was failure to perform POCUS when indicated (7 cases, 47%); however, medico-legal action also resulted from diagnostic error, incorrect sonographic approach, deficient assessment, inadequate skill, inadequate documentation, or inadequate reporting. Conclusions Although the most common reason associated with the medico-legal action in these cases is failure to perform POCUS when indicated, inappropriate use of POCUS may lead to medico-legal action. Due to limitations in granularity of data, the exact number of civil-legal, College cases, and hospital complaints for each contributing factor is unavailable. To enhance patient care and mitigate risk for providers, POCUS should be carefully integrated with other clinical information, performed by providers with adequate skill, and carefully documented.

As pricing in hospitality and tourism evolves due to the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence (AI), so do the concerns that come with technological advancements. There is a fine line between what is possible, what is profitable, and what is ethical, sustainable and responsible in the use of AI for pricing. This viewpoint article draws attention to the dark side of pricing, and presents a framework towards sustainable pricing, against the backdrop of the current European Union legal framework. The framework includes ethical guidelines, self-regulation, self-protection and technological regulation, which should be considered as a whole.

Introduction: Medical malpractice claims in our country, which ranks among the nations with a high frequency of esthetic interventions according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), have been on the rise. This study aims to evaluate the claims of medical malpractice related to medical interventions for esthetic purposes. Materials and Methods: Files belonging to esthetic medical interventions which were referred from the court and the official institutions or were applicant individually for the purpose of identifying the malpractice between 2011 and 2022 to our institution were reviewed. Results: One hundred cases (82% – female, 18% – male, average age: 35.6) were evaluated. It was determined that 57% of the cases were sent from the consumer court, 33% from the court of first instance, and 7% of them were individual applications. Eighty percent of the cases were operated in operating room conditions, while 20% were office-type interventional procedures. It was determined that 84% of medical practices were performed by doctors and 16% by nonphysicians. After 2016, 85% of cases were referred from the consumer court. Above half of the whole cases (54.2%) had medical malpractice. The most important reason for medical malpractice was the lack of or insufficient informed consent. Conclusion: To prevent errors in esthetic medical interventions, it is necessary to comply with the legal regulations, to have a responsible physician in office-type interventions, to duly prepare and obtain (sign and hide) informed consent, to make the surgery/intervention plan, and to manage complications.

Chat-GPT being Generative AI, is known for its writing potential. ChatGPT's capabilities to generate text, answer questions, and engage in meaningful conversations is growing exponentially, offering immense potential for both personal and business applications. This transformation is impacting society, raising concerns in copyrights about the AI generated content. Authors and platforms should adopt practices that transparently acknowledge the contributions of both humans and AI. It will help ensure that the produced content is consistent with moral guidelines. Major risks posed by ChatGPT, their legal and ethical implications, findings, and tentative solutions are shared in this research.

for humanity. All actions of palliative care carried out by the palliative team, really need informed consent, so that they are not subject to administrative, criminal or civil sanctions. So in this study the aims were to analyze the legal ratio of informed consent in palliative care based on the Minister of Health Decree number 812/Menkes/SK/VII/2007 concerning Palliative Care Policy, and analyze legal liability for negligence in making informed consent in palliative care. The research method is normative juridical with a statute approach and conceptual approach. The results of this study are that in the process of palliative care carried out with multidisciplinary knowledge, these actions really require informed consent. And legal responsibility for negligence in making informed consent in palliative care can be in the form of administrative, criminal or civil sanctions.

Innovative transformations taking place in the educational sector of Azerbaijan cause legal, organizational, economic, social, technical and technological problems that need to be solved. This article also examines innovative didactic methods, and their advantages are compared with the possibilities of information technology in the educational process. The purpose of the article is to investigate various technical and economic indicators of higher education in Azerbaijan and to study the innovative transformations in the higher education system of Azerbaijan during the 2005/06 - 2022/23 academic years. The objectives of the research are as follows: 1) the study of legal, organizational, socio-economic and technological aspects of higher education in Azerbaijan; 2) expert evaluation of innovative policy of higher education in Azerbaijan. The research methods are the analysis of statistical data, their grouping and comparison, and expert assessment of external (PEST analysis) and internal factors (SWOT analysis) that influence innovative transformations in the higher education system of Azerbaijan throughout 2005/06 – 2022/23. The conducted PEST analysis of political, economic, social and technological factors demonstrated the presence of both positive and negative evaluations of the use of ICT in the Azerbaijanian higher education system. The SWOT analysis identified the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of innovative educational processes in the universities of Azerbaijan. The basis for the analysis was the statistical data of the State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan, electronic pages and posts of the AGORA and Edu.az organizations on Facebook. To identify the role of the higher education system in the national economy of Azerbaijan and analyse the current situation, the author used data for 2005/06 – 2022/23. As findings of the conducted research, it has been concluded that Azerbaijan has not created its own model of higher education development yet, and this problem needs a scientifically grounded solution. The problems of Azerbaijan’s higher education have been described. These are as follows: many teachers who are over 45 years old cannot successfully use innovative teaching methods, do not update the curriculum, and they have been working with old training programs for more than 10 years; there are no teaching methods using students’ mobile gadgets; students’ responsibility has been deteriorating over the years, so lecturers, mentors and trainers must remind students several times about the deadlines for submitting the necessary documents, chapters of theses and dissertations etc. Taking into consideration the research findings, the author has recommended the following: creating joint information resources for higher educational institutions, which will contribute to the development of educational technologies and the introduction of electronic learning; building up online interaction between students and the professional community; more widely introducing ICT for the organization of interaction in social networks, establishment of social contacts in distance learning, working with electronic sources; forming interuniversity laboratories as centres of collective activity, which will ensure the elaboration of academic cooperation; constantly updating and improving educational programs, plans and study content; establishing a system for assessing knowledge and testing students’ competencies, forming a unified national system for assessing knowledge; creating an information base of specialists who have obtained degrees abroad in order to make teams for the implementation of scientific projects of an international level; developing scientific and technical cooperation in the direction of elaboration of joint training programs with post-Soviet countries.

Doctors have a duty to provide trustworthy and ethical medical care, and professional self-governments, such as chambers of physicians, play a crucial role in ensuring this responsibility. Economically, professional responsibility involves insurance costs, financial sanctions, increased healthcare expenses, and a decrease in patient trust. Managerially, it includes risk management, policy development, quality monitoring, and fostering a culture of safety. The self-government contributes by establishing standards, conducting inspections, and addressing complaints. Effective management of professional responsibility is essential for providing safe and high-quality healthcare. Mandatory membership in the self-government is determined by the supervision it exercises, ensuring that all practitioners are subject to oversight and comply with professional ethics. The self-government operates independently within its defined legal tasks. The article explores the organization and the role of professional self-government of doctors in upholding their professional responsibility. It examines economic, managerial, and legal aspects, addressing questions about monitoring professional practice, mandatory membership, ethical formulation, autonomy vs. state authority, and the connection between self-government and professional responsibility. The economic, managerial, and legal aspects emphasized underscore the significance of a well-functioning self-government system for the benefit of doctors and society at large. Brief description of the state of knowledge. The review was based on data obtained from articles published in research databases and law documents.

From 2008 to 2024, the Newborn Screening Translational Research Network (NBSTRN), part of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Hunter Kelly Newborn Screening Program, served as a robust infrastructure to facilitate groundbreaking research in newborn screening (NBS), public health, rare disease, and genomics. Over its sixteen years, NBSTRN developed into a significant international network, supporting innovative research on novel technologies to screen, diagnose, treat, manage, and understand the natural history of more than 280 rare diseases. The NBSTRN tools and resources were used by a variety of stakeholders including researchers, clinicians, state NBS programs, parents, families, and policy makers. Resources and expertise for the newborn screening community in ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) has been an important area of focus for the NBSTRN and this includes efforts across the NBS system from pilot studies of candidate conditions to public health implementation of screening for new conditions, and the longitudinal follow-up of NBS-identified individuals to inform health outcomes and disease understanding. In 2023, the NBSTRN conducted a survey to explore ELSI issues in NBS research, specifically those encountered by the NBS community. Since NBS research involves collaboration among researchers, state NBS programs, clinicians, and families, the survey was broadly designed and disseminated to engage all key stakeholders. With responses from 88 members of the NBS community, including researchers and state NBS programs, the survey found that individuals rely most on institutional and collegial resources when they encounter ELSI questions. Most survey responses ranked privacy as extremely or very important in NBS research and identified the need for policies that address informed consent in NBS research. The survey results highlight the need for improved collaborative resources and educational programs focused on ELSI for the NBS community. The survey results inform future efforts in ELSI and NBS research in the United States (U.S.) and the rest of the world, including the development of policies and expanded ELSI initiatives and tools that address the needs of all NBS stakeholders.

ObjectiveWe assessed the proportion of medication versus suction aspiration abortions before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in a health system that did not limit access to abortion.Study designWe conducted an interrupted time series analysis among patients having an abortion at 10 weeks gestation or less at Planned Parenthood health centers in San Diego, Imperial, and Riverside Counties in California. Centers required in-person follow up for medication abortion throughout the pandemic. We compared the nine months prior to the pandemic (June 2019 to February 2020) to the first nine months of the pandemic (April 2020 to December 2020), with March 2020 as a washout period.ResultsThere was an average monthly increase of 0.78% in the proportion of medication abortions from June 2019 to February 2020 (p = 0.01, pre-pandemic trend). Immediately following the start of the pandemic, there was an estimated increase in the proportion of medication abortions of 2.58% (p = 0.23, post-level change). However, the monthly pre-pandemic trend towards medication abortions reversed by 1.07% after the start of the pandemic (p = 0.02, post-trend change), for an average monthly decrease in the proportion of medication abortions of 0.29% from April to December 2020 (p = 0.37, pandemic trend).ConclusionsThe trend towards medication abortions that was present before the COVID-19 pandemic reversed after an initial increase in medication abortions at the start of the pandemic.ImplicationsBoth types of abortion should remain available during public health emergencies. Further research is needed to understand how the pandemic affected abortion methods in areas with limited access and in health centers that did not require two in-person appointments for medication abortions.