Product Description
Ethics and Law for the Health Professions is a cross-disciplinary medico-legal book whose previous editions have been widely used by students, teachers and practitioners in the health professions and in law. This new 4th edition has been extensively revised and updated to take account of developments in law, biomedical science, healthcare delivery and bioethics. Sections dealing with critical reasoning, problem solving, professionalism, negligence, standards of care, public health and the emerging biosciences have been considerably expanded and entirely new chapters have been added dealing with sexuality, culture, rural health, evidence and global health.
As with previous editions, the 4th edition of Ethics and Law for the Health Professions focuses on issues that are relevant both to clinicians and to health-policy-makers. It combines insights from philosophy, bioethics and the health social sciences, biomedical research data and case law. Importantly, this book recognises that health professionals must understand both the ethical and legal implications of their practice but is careful to distinguish between the two.
This book provides an invaluable resource for those who are responsible for the design and delivery of health care and for those who have an interest in how health care can best meet the needs and reflect the values of the community.
Part 1: Introduction to Ethics and Law
What is Ethics?
Ethical Theories and Concepts
Relativism and Pluralism
Introduction to Law
Part 2: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving in Ethics and Law
Critical Thinking in Biomedical Ethics and Law
Evidence, Health, Ethics and Law
Principle-based Ethics
Problem Solving in Clinical Ethics and Law
Part 3: Core Topics in Ethics and Health Law
Professionalism
Trust, Standards of Care, Error and Negligence
The Student in the Health-Care Environment
Nursing
Truth-Telling (Veracity)
Confidentiality and Record-Keeping
Consent
Impairments of Decision-Making Capacity
Treatment and Non-Treatment Issues: The Limits of Medical Care
CPR and No-CPR Orders
Sexuality
Reproduction
Abortion
Children
People with Mental Illness
The Elderly
End-of-Life Care: Palliative Care, Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
The Donation and Transplantation of Organs and Tissues
Post-Coma Unresponsiveness and Brain Death
Biomedical Research
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
Drugs and Drug Companies
Part 4: Health Ethics, Law and Society
Public Health
Infectious Diseases
Ethics and Chronic Disease
Culture
Rural Health and Ethics
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
Global Health
Resource Allocation
Health Care, Animals and the Environment
Part 5: The Challenge of Emerging Technologies
Genetics and Genomic Medicine
Biotechnology and the Emergent Biosciences