Main description:

The go-to textbook on the increasingly important and rapidly evolving topic of medical ethics

Clinical Ethics is the most popular clinically oriented guide to the complex field of medical ethics. It provides crystal-clear case-based coverage of ethical situations encountered in everyday medical practice.

This unparalleled guide is famous for its four-topics method of approaching ethical problems (medical indications, patient preferences, quality of life, and contextual features)-an organizational process that helps you better understand the complexities involved in clinical ethics cases and find a resolution for each case. In each chapter, the authors discuss case examples and provide analysis, comments, and specific recommendations.

Sections and chapters include:

TOPIC 1: Medical Indications

Indicated and Nonindicated Interventions
Clinical Judgment and Clinical Uncertainty
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Orders not to Resuscitate
Medical Error
Determination of Death

TOPIC 2: Preferences of Patients

Informed Consent
Decisional Capacity
Decision Making for the Mentally Incapacitated Patient
Surrogate Decision Makers
Failure to Cooperate in the Therapeutic Relationship

TOPIC 3: Quality of Life

Divergent Evaluations of Quality of Life
Enhancement Medicine
Compromised Quality of Life and Life-Sustaining Interventions
Pain Relief for Terminally Ill Patients
Medically Assisted Dying
Suicide

TOPIC 4: Contextual Features

Health Professions
Other Interested Parties
Confidentiality of Medical Information
Economics of Clinical Care
Allocation of Scarce Health Resources
Influence of Religion on Clinical Decisions
Role of Law in Clinical Ethics
Clinical Research and Education
Public Health
Organizational Ethics

Contents:

Introduction

The Four Topics

Ethical Reasoning in Clinical Ethics

Resources in Clinical Ethics

Acknowledgements

Bibliography

The Four Topics Chart

TOPIC ONE

Medical Indications

1.1 Indicated and Nonindicated Interventions

1.2 Clinical Judgment and Clinical Uncertainty

1.3 Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Orders not to Resuscitate

1.4 Medical Error

1.5 Determination of Death

1.6 Summary

TOPIC TWO

Preferences of Patients

2.1 Informed Consent

2.2 Decisional Capacity

2.3 Decision Making for the Mentally Incapacitated Patient

2.4 Surrogate Decision Makers

2.5 Failure to Cooperate in the Therapeutic Relationship

TOPIC THREE

Quality of Life

3.1 Divergent Evaluations of Quality of Life

3.2 Enhancement Medicine

3.3 Compromised Quality of Life and Life-Sustaining Interventions

3.4 Pain Relief for Terminally Ill Patients

3.5 Medically Assisted Dying

3.6 Suicide

TOPIC FOUR

Contextual Features

4.1 Health Professions

4.2 Other Interested Parties

4.3 Confidentiality of Medical Information

4.4 Economics of Clinical Care

4.5 Allocation of Scarce Health Resources

4.6 Influence of Religion on Clinical Decisions

4.7 Role of Law in Clinical Ethics

4.8 Clinical Research and Education

4.9 Public Health

4.10 Organizational Ethics