The recent annotated medical ethics bibliography by Dunn and colleagues [1] provides many useful literature citations but is unfortunately brief. Another resource helpful to physicians is the National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature at Georgetown University's Kennedy Institute of Ethics. Physicians may call (toll-free, 1-800-MED-ETHX) to contact the National Reference Center for free individual searches of BIOETHICSLINE, the online database prepared for MEDLARS by the Kennedy Institute of Ethics. A recent caller to this line requested a search for articles about assent to advance directives for young patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a topic not covered by the short bibliography but nonetheless a real ethical dilemma for the caller.

Another resource not mentioned by Dunn and colleagues is the annually updated Bibliography of Bioethics. The 1994 volume contains the most citations ever listed in this series, with 3600 bibliographic references to specific topics arranged by subject. This bibliography is known as the world's most comprehensive print resource for the bioethical literature. Although the one article on informed consent and cancer listed in Dunn and colleagues' bibliography might suffice, a quick scan of the 102 references found in the "Informed Consent" section of the Bibliography of Bioethics would provide a wider, more exact, and more relevant choice for health personnel interested in a different facet of informed consent.

Another resource useful for those needing quick access to a topic is the Scope Note Series published by the National Reference Center. The series currently includes 25 papers, with 3 or 4 new reports appearing annually. The series presents a current overview of issues and viewpoints related to specific topics in biomedical ethics, offering immediate reference to facts, various opinions, and any applicable legal precedents. The papers are usually about 15 pages in length, and include a brief background essay followed by dozens of annotated citations. Bioethics consultation, assisted suicide, neonatal intensive care, gene therapy, genetic testing and screening, living wills, ethics committees, and religious perspectives in medical ethics are among the Scope Note topics (they can be ordered by calling 800-MED-ETHX, and the cost is $5 to cover printing and handling). The publications of the National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature are supported by a National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine contract.