Editors’ Note

We are pleased to publish the first issue of volume 5 of Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics (NIB). In this issue we introduce two innovations. First, we have added a disclaimer to our front material that articulates what has always been the case:

The material published in NIB is meant to foster scholarly inquiry and rich discussion of topics in bioethics, health policy, and health sociology. The views represented in the articles published in NIB do not necessarily represent the views of the NIB Editorial Board, the Foundation for Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University Press, or Johns Hopkins University. None of the material published in NIB is intended to provide advice on legal matters.

Second, we have added discussion questions to our case studies. This serves to reinforce the message of the disclaimer. The publication of a case in NIB does not mean that the editors or peer reviewers consider the author commentaries to present authoritative solutions to the thorny issues presented in the cases. Rather, it means that the case study presents a serious ethical challenge and that the authors have presented a viewpoint worthy of consideration and further discussion. The discussion questions are meant to stimulate critical reflection by readers. They are also meant to serve as a resource for individuals who may want to use a case for instructional purposes.

The narrative symposium in this issue focuses on the ethical decision–making of surgeons. The editors, with the help of Ray DeVries and Christian Vergler wrote the call for stories and invited the commentators. The symposium explores the basic question, what types of ethical concerns do surgeons struggle with that are unique to their practice of medicine? The symposium offers personal stories from surgeons that highlight their ethical decision–making. Renée Fox, Christian Vercler and Christine Grady wrote the three commentary articles—their collective expertise in anthropology, surgery, bioethics, nursing, and research, bring a broad range of perspectives to this topic.

The research article in this issue engages the question, what are the views of medical professionals in the Middle East on important ethical topics surrounding genetic research and storied tissue samples? “Confidentiality, Informed Consent, and Children’s Participation in Research Involving Stored Tissue Samples: Interviews with Medical Professionals from the Middle East” written by Ghiath Alahmad, Mohammed Al Jumah, and Kris Dierickx explores this topic by analyzing the interviews they gathered from 12 medical professionals working in the Middle East with stored tissue samples. These interviews bring up the expected topics of informed consent, protection of confidentiality, and working with children but they also give the reader a chance to understand how medical practitioners in these communities understand and deal with the issues.

This issue contains a novel contribution to our occasional “Narrative Education” section, which addresses the questions, what does it look like when a medical school, drawing upon its mission, fosters the practices of reflection and reflective writing into its curriculum for medical students? The authors of “Physician, Know Thyself: The Role of Reflection in Bioethics and Professionalism Education” have written about their special curriculum and co–curricular programs, which employ integrated reflection and reflective writing assignments to better prepare their students, not only as medical professionals, but also to be able to better deal with the toll medical work can take on a personal level.

A case study in this issue confronts the difficult question, how should medical practitioners balance the needs and autonomy of the mother with those of a fetus in the process of being born? Ercan Avci discusses this dilemma in his case study, “Caregivers’ Role in Maternal–Fetal Conflict”. He looks at a case from Turkey where the mother finds herself at odds with the midwives and doctor in the delivery room. The outcome of this case for the fetus is dire. The author looks for answers to the question: how could the case have been handled differently without compromising the mother’s autonomy or the fetus’ care?

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For a list of current Calls for Stories and Author Guidelines, please visit www.nibjournal.org. [End Page...