Preceded by Ethical decision making in nursing and health care / by James H. Husted, Gladys L. Husted. 4th ed. c2008.

This text reviews theoretical bases for bioethics including definitions of morals, ethics, metaethics, bioethics and the role of health care professionals. Theory includes discussion of philosphical ethical systems, such as utilitarianism, denotology and natural law, and moral theology and religion as source and reason for ethics. The natural law theory of moral development is described in terms of Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, James Rest, Carol Gilligan and others. One way to understand this is to see people as moral beings. This includes nurses and other health care professionals who make bioethical decisions.

This book provides a systematic approach to bioethical decision making that can help clarify issues in situations where "right" and "wrong" may not be clearly defined. This approach is based on the interaction of health professional and patient, focusing on the well-being and right to self-direction of both. Numerous case studies give the professional practice in bioethical decision making. Nearly 50 of them are analyzed in detail at the back of the book. Nurses, physicians, and allied health professionals will find this a valuable resource. This book provides a systematic approach to bioethical decision making that can help clarify issues in situations where "right" and "wrong" may not be clearly defined. This approach is based on the interaction of health professional and patient, focusing on the well-being and right to self-direction of both. Numerous case studies give the professional practice in bioethical decision making. Nearly 50 of them are analyzed in detail at the back of the book. Nurses, physicians, and allied health professionals will find this a valuable resource. New to this fourth edition is an expansion of the preface and first chapter to provide a more complete mindset for what is to follow; two new chapters: one on four of the traditional ethical systems and how they pertain to interaction in the health care setting, and one that expands upon the iimportant of context; expansion of the final chapter on Symphonology--now formally recognized as a nursing theory by Marriner-Tomey and Alligood in their new edition of Nursing Theory: Utilization and Application--for use by master's and doctoral students; end of chapter questions and/or dilemmas for which no analysis will be given; replacement of older case studies with more current examples; and randomly throughout, addition of content, different focuses, and rearrangement of content.

The 5th edition of Bioethics provides nursing students with the necessary knowledge and understanding of the ethical issues effecting nursing practice. Groundbreaking in its first edition, Bioethics continues its role as a vital component of nursing education and provides a framework for students to understand the obligations, responsibilities and ethical challenges they will be presented with throughout their careers. This latest edition responds to new and emerging developments in the field and marks a significant turning point in nursing ethics in that it serves not only to inform but also to revitalise and progress debate on the issues presented.

This book clarifies the meaning of the most important and pervasive concepts and tools in bioethical argumentation (principles, values, dignity, rights, duties, deliberation, prudence) and assesses the methodological suitability of the main methods for clinical decision-making and argumentation. The first part of the book is devoted to the most developed or promising approaches regarding bioethical argumentation, namely those based on principles, values and human rights. The authors then continue to deal with the contributions and shortcomings of these approaches and suggest further developments by means of substantive and procedural elements and concepts from practical philosophy, normative systems theory, theory of action, human rights and legal argumentation. Furthermore, new models of biomedical and health care decision-making, which overcome the aforementioned criticism and stress the relevance of the argumentative responsibility, are included.