The purpose of this book is to set out the fundamental principles governing the law of medical malpractice in clear and understandable terms, so that those principles can be applied in daily practice. The intersection of the fields of medicine and the law produces formidable challenges. For the lawyer, the applicable legal principles and issues are as intellectually and professionally demanding as encountered in any field of the law. For the medical practitioner, there is at present an obstructive uncertainty and anxiety about the legal rules which apply, and the health professions accordingly feel under siege. Added to this is the formative role that government and civil society plays in considering and assimilating into our legal system profound policy considerations affecting our most intimate interests. This book addresses these issue clearly and comprehensively.

A textbook of case studies for audiologists and speech pathologists that makes recommendations for early detection and intervention of hearing impairments in the South African context Early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) is the gold standard for any practicing audiologist, and for families of infants and children with hearing impairment. EHDI programs aim to identify, diagnose and provide intervention to children with hearing impairment from as early as six months old (as well as those at risk for hearing impairment) to ensure they develop and achieve to their potential. Yet EHDI remains a significant challenge for Africa, and various initiatives are in place to address this gap in transferring policy into practice within the southern African context. The diversity of factors in the southern African context presents unique challenges to teaching and research in this field, which has prompted this book project. The South African government’s heightened focus on increasing access to health care which includes ongoing Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs, make this an opportune time for establishing and documenting evidence-based research for current undergraduate and postgraduate students. Early Detection and Intervention in Audiology: An African Perspective aims to address this opportunity. Grounded in an African context with detailed case studies, this book provides rich content that pays careful attention to contextual relevance and contextual responsiveness to both identification and intervention in hearing impairment. With diverse contributions from experts in local and international contexts, but always with an African perspective, this is textbook will be an invaluable resource for students, researchers and practitioners.

The book is intended to be an introductory guide for healthcare practitioners, legal practitioners, healthcare students and law students who are concerned with the delivery of healthcare services in South Africa. The book emphasises the ethical and legal aspects of healthcare in the country while making references to international human rights and ethical standards applicable to healthcare services. As the book is a guide, it does not deal exhaustively with the topics discussed. Instead it aims to give healthcare and legal practitioners some general guidelines. New edition update: - an updated ethics chapter that includes a robust section on African indigenous values in the context of health care. - a chapter on universal health care coverage and the NHI. - the legislation need to be reviewed and updated. - a section on alternate dispute resolution. - the section on research also requires updating. - the case studies also need to be made more recent to include current contextually relevant issues like the Life Esidimeni Tragedy. Table of contents: Part 1: Introduction to Bioethics, Human Rights and Health Law: Principles and Practice - Background Chapter 1 Ethical concepts, theories and principles and their application to healthcare Chapter 2. Codes of healthcare ethics Chapter 3. Health and human rights Chapter 4. Health law - the basics Part 2: Specific Topics Chapter 5. Professionalism and the healthcare practitioner-patient relationship Chapter 6. Consent Chapter 7. Confidentiality Chapter 8. Medical malpractice and professional negligence Chapter 9. Reproductive health Chapter 10. Issues in genetics Chapter 11. Use of human tissue Chapter 12. End of life issues Chapter 13. HIV and AIDS Chapter 14. Resource allocation Chapter 15. Business ethics - the healthcare context Chapter 16. Human health and the environment Chapter 17. The ethics of research