Explores the ethical issues faced by GPs in their everyday practice, addressing two central themes; the uncertainty of outcomes and effectiveness in general practice and the changing pattern of general practitioners' responsibilities.

"Practical Ethics for General Practice, second edition, is essential reading for GPs, trainees, community nurses, those interested in bioethics, and medical students." --Book Jacket.

Relevant for the entire primary care team, this book provides a diverse range of perspectives on current topical issues. Healthcare ethics is a subject of increasing interest, especially when it related to some of the challenging themes regularly discussed in the media. Until now there has been little useful literature for those in primary care, where ethical problems are often experienced with a unique set of issues. Primary Care Ethics is rigorous and academic, while remaining highly accessible for the full range of practitioners. Moral and legal aspects are clearly distinguished throughout, and the theme-based approach is stimulating and original. In providing greater depth and breadth in this subject than has been available previously, the book is both practical and thought-provoking, and essential reading for everyone, whether in academic, training or practice-based primary care.

This book discusses medicine from an ethical perspective, whereas books on medical ethics more commonly present ethics from a bio-medical standpoint. The book is divided into 23 chapters. The introductory chapters present some basic concepts of medical ethics, such as the relation between the legal system and ethics, ethical documents, ethical theories, and ethical analysis. The following chapters address issues of importance in all fields of medicine: respecting autonomy, communication, relations within a healthcare team, professional malpractice, limited resources, and the portrait of a physician. In turn, the third part of the book focuses on ethical aspects in a broad range of medical activities – preventive medicine, human reproduction, genetics, pediatrics, intensive care, palliative medicine, clinical research, unproven methods in diagnostics and treatment, and the role of physicians who aren’t directly responsible for patient care. The last part presents students’ seminars with case stories. The book offers a valuable resource for physicians of all specialties, students of medicine, professionals, and students from other fields devoted to human health, journalists, and general readers with an interest in medicine.

In the modern practice of medicine, new challenges complicate the ethical care of patients. Today’s times require a contemporary take on the concept of medical ethics. The idea for this textbook was born out of a need for a teaching resource that merges medical ethics theory with the practical needs of modern clinical medicine. In Evidence-Based Medical Ethics: Cases for Practice-Based Learning, the authors address what has been missing in existing text books and ethics courses to date – clear-cut ethical and legal guidelines that provide a method for the reader to learn how to systematically manage dilemmas seen in the everyday practice of medicine. The reader is guided through several "typical" patient scenarios and prompted by various questions that should be entertained by the treating health care provider. Then, relevant evidence-based medicine, legal precedent, and the ethical theory that applies to the situation are revealed. Often, finding the "best" ethical solution for each problem is automatic, as the solution often becomes self-evident during information-gathering. This general method is reinforced throughout the text with multiple different cases, using a practice-based approach by building on the reader’s developing skills. Additionally, we have sought to emphasize a culturally competent manner in resolving these dilemmas, respectfully addressing issues of age, gender, and culture whenever possible. The main goal of Evidence-Based Medical Ethics: Cases for Practice-Bases Learning is to assist the reader in adapting a patient-centered and evidence-based approach to dilemmas faced in their future practice of medicine.

Medical ethics draws upon methods from a wide array of disciplines, including anthropology, economics, epidemiology, health services research, history, law, medicine, nursing, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and theology. In this influential book, outstanding scholars in medical ethics bring these many methods together in one place to be systematically described, critiqued, and challenged. Newly revised and updated chapters in this second edition include philosophy, religion and theology, virtue and professionalism, casuistry and clinical ethics, law, history, qualitative research, ethnography, quantitative surveys, experimental methods, and economics and decision science. This second edition also includes new chapters on literature and sociology, as well as a second chapter on philosophy which expands the range of philosophical methods discussed to include gender ethics, communitarianism, and discourse ethics. In each of these chapters, contributors provide descriptions of the methods, critiques, and notes on resources and training. Methods in Medical Ethics is a valuable resource for scholars, teachers, editors, and students in any of the disciplines that have contributed to the field. As a textbook and reference for graduate students and scholars in medical ethics, it offers a rich understanding of the complexities involved in the rigorous investigation of moral questions in medical practice and research.

"Doctors have been concerned with ethics since the earliest days of medical practice. Traditionally, medical practitioners have been expected to be motivated by a desire to help their patients. Ethical codes and systems, such as the Hippocratic Oath, have emphasised this. During the latter half of the 20th century, advances in medical science, in conjunction with social and political changes, meant that the accepted conventions of the doctor/patient relationship were increasingly being questioned. After the Nuremberg Trials, in which the crimes of Nazi doctors, among others, were exposed, it became clear that doctors cannot be assumed to be good simply by virtue of their profession. Not only this, but doctors who transgress moral boundaries can harm people in the most appalling ways"--