Amber Comer
Assistant ProfessorHealth Sciences
ude[dot]ui[at]remoc
Indiana Health Care Consent Law
The crux of my research is to conduct inter and cross disciplinary scientific studies that can then be used to provide an evidence-based approach to making health laws and policies that will better the health of people not only in the Unites States, but throughout the world. As an example of my work, I worked with Medical Doctors and Ethicists to conduct four studies evaluating issues surrounding Indiana’s health care consent law. The results of these studies showed that Indiana’s current health care consent law was not only unethical according to medical ethical principles, but it was also leading to patient delay of care and placing physicians in a position where they would have to choose between following medical ethics codes or the Indiana law. Based on the results from these studies, I gained support from different health care organizations and successfully had Senate Bill 193 introduced in the Indiana Senate this legislative session. The bill was based on the findings of my research and would correct the issues with the health care consent law. In addition to working on the issues with Indiana’s health care consent law, my latest projects involve a study of stroke legislation, which would work to improve patient health outcomes among persons who have suffered from acute stroke, and an environmental stroke policy study the results of which would serve as leverage to change environmental policies in order prevent stroke.