The future of clinical bioethics

Prior to becoming an anesthesiologist, Alyssa Burgart trained in bioethics. She now counts herself among a growing number of certified clinical bioethicists who help doctors, nurses, patients, and their families handle ethically complex medical decisions at the bedside. Bioethicists are critical to care, Burgart argues, helping patients facing difficult choices to clarify personal values and weigh a complex array of risks and benefits, as well as emotions and familial, cultural, and religious norms. While much of her work is in pediatrics and maternal-fetal cases, she also studies how moral distress and moral injury impact clinicians, contributing to burnout among doctors and nurses. Having a strong ethical community brings resilience to these challenging environments, Burgart tells host Russ Altman in this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast. Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your question. You can send questions to thefutureofeverything@stanford.edu. Episode Reference Links: Stanford Profile: Alyssa Burgart Connect With Us: Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon Connect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook Chapters: (00:00:00) Introduction Russ Altman introduces guest Alyssa Burgart, a professor of anesthesiology and perioperative pain at Stanford University. (00:03:16) Path into Bioethics & Anesthesiology How Burgart became a bioethicist and then chose anesthesiology. (00:05:18) What Bioethics Means How bioethics helps connect medical decisions to values, risks, and benefits. (00:07:03) Making Hard Decisions Manageable How ethics consultation helps clinicians act with integrity. (00:08:33) Ethics Consults A detailed explanation of hospital ethics services  (00:12:23) Pediatric Ethics Examples of Dr. Burgart’s work with children, families, and clinicians (00:15:45) Culture, Faith, and Trust Navigating cultural and religious differences as a bioethicist. (00:17:57) Family Decision-Making How ethics consultants help families and care teams honor a patient’s voice. (00:21:55) Moral Injury What is moral injury and how do clinicians specifically experience it? (00:24:52) Institutional Betrayal Why barriers like policies, laws, and denied approvals can create moral strain. (00:26:37) Moral Distress What is moral distress and how does it manifest itself in healthcare. (00:28:28) Moral Residue When clinicians experience repeated moral strain and cannot recover between incidents. (00:29:33) Treating Moral Injury & Distress Strategies for helping clinicians manage these parts of their work. (00:33:54) Future In a Minute Rapid-fire Q&A: clinical bioethics, human dignity, and moral resilience. (00:36:15) Conclusion Connect With Us:Episode Transcripts &gt;&gt;&gt; The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ &gt;&gt;&gt; Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering &gt;&gt;&gt;Twitter/X / <a href="