Doing Right A Practical Guide to Ethics for Physicians and Medical Trainees

by Hebert, Philip

• ISBN13: 9780195411041
• ISBN10: 0195411048
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-08-29
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Doing Right is a brief and practical introduction to medical ethics for physicians and medical trainees (students, interns, residents). It eschews most jargon and instead concentrates on the concepts, issues and ethical-legal precedents that health care practitioners in Canada need to be familiar with to practice medicine in an acceptable way. The book uses many real-life cases -- some simple, some challenging -- that will help illustrate the application of modern ethics to everyday practice. Professionals in other health disciplines may find this bo useful as the key issues discussed are often faced by them as well.

Author Biography

Dr. Philip Hebert obtained his PhD in philosophy from York University and his MD from the University of Toronto. He is currently Assistant Professor with the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto, Bioethics Coordinator of the undergraduate curriculum at the University of Toronto Medical School, and attending physician at the Sunnybrook Health Science Centre. Dr. Hebert also holds cross appointments in the Department of Extended Care (Sunnybrook Health Science Centre) and the Department of Philosophy (University of Toronto).

Table of Contents

Introduction

Principles Behind Ethically Sound Medicine

Ethical Reasoning and Principles in Medicine

Three Ethical Principles and Questions

Resolving Ethical Dilemmas

A ""Good Enough"" Ethics Decision Procedure

A Starving Patient with Anorexia: To Feed or Not to Feed?

Autonomy and Patient Care

The Autonomy Principle

The Case of Mrs. Malette and Dr. Shulman

Living Wills: Choices of Autonomy Past

Unhealthy Choices

Difficulty with the Autonomy Model

Confidentiality and Its Limits

Confidentiality

Secrets and Privacy

Limits to Confidentiality

Duty to Warn

Whistle Blowing

Truth, Lies and Deception in Clinical Practice

The Role of Disclosure

The Changing Practice of Medicine

Seven Good Reasons for Telling the Truth

Four Exceptions to Disclosure

The Medical Student's Dilemma

Telling Bad News

Due Care and Informed Consent

Informed Consent in Practice

The Doctor Who Didn't: The Case of Mr. Reibl v. Dr. Hughes

The Main Elements of Consent

Exceptions to Consent

Patients Who Withdraw Consent

Elective Surgery and Medical Research

Quandries for the Medical Learner

The Duty of Care and Rescue: Beneficence and Non-Maleficence

The Principles of Beneficence and Non-maleficence

The Duty to Rescue

Due Care and Negligence

Minors and Refusal of Treatment by Parents

Minors and Parental Requests for Treatment: The Case of Eve v. Mrs. E.

Futility and the ""Hopelessly Ill""

Justice in Medical Care

Justice in Every-day Practice

Minimal and Optimal Justice

Medically Necessary Treatment

Practice Guidelines: A Solution for Just Medicine in Hard Times?

The Physician's Master

Capacity and the Duty to Protect

Assessing Capacity

Involuntary Assessment and Treatment

When Not to Rescue: Messrs. Gallagher and Reid v. Dr. Fleming

The Duty to Protect

Failure to Care for Self

End-of-Life Decisions

Allowing Death: The Case of Nancy B.

Guidelines for No-Cardio-Pulmonary-Resuscitation Orders

The Case of Sue Rodriguez

Physician's Aid in Dying

Conclusion

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.