Health Care Ethics, 6th edition

Provides students with tools to identify the problems in heath care.

This clear, accessible text/reference explores the full range of contemporary issues in health care ethics from a practical wisdom approach.  The authors present the fundamental concerns of modern medical ethics–-autonomy, beneficence, justice, and confidentiality-–and then provide analysis, cases, and insights from professional literature to discuss them.  Throughout, the discussion starts with larger issues or concepts and principles and then focuses on specific problems or complications.

Learning Goals

Upon completing this book, readers will be able to:

• Identify the problems in health care ranging from end of life issues to testing and research.
• Develop a more well-rounded understanding of cultural traditions that are not a part of the mainstream discussion of American medical ethics.
• Analyze the various views on health care ethics.

• Clearer explanations of the philosophical reflections that are the basis of the discussion of principles and problems, keeps the focus on ethical issues, rather than on clarifying the philosophical discussion. (ex. p. 201)
• Problems associated with issues surrounding the end of life— Offers a more natural and unified discussion, which makes this sensitive subject more approachable for students. (ex. p. 167)
• Insights from cultural traditions not usually a part of the mainstream discussion of American medical ethics give students an additional perspective for a more well-rounded understanding.
• Brief review of basic ethical theories in Western philosophy bring students up to speed if necessary. (ex. p. 4)
• Practical wisdom approachencourages the case method and use of factual material and makes the text more accessible to instructors with either a classical or contemporary background; reinforces the educational background many students bring to class. (ex. p. 8)
• Unified approach focuses on the problems of medical ethics, with minimal attention to ethical theory making the text coherent forstudents.
• Diverse range of cases and empirical materialfrom the World Wide Web, legal and medical journals, and the media give students and instructors the most up-to-date and relevant material available.  (ex. p. 84)
• Coverage of institutional ethics and professional standards alert students to topics that are increasingly important to the development of health care. (ex. p. 137)
• Full chapter coverage of Testing and Screening and on Biomedical Research helps instructors apply the course to areas beyond patient care. (ex. p. 278)
• Written without medical or philosophical jargon; speaks to students in language they can relate to and understand clearly.
• Discusses alternative views so that students can see the diversity of the field.

In this Section:

1) Overall Changes

2) Chapter-by-Chapter Changes

1) Overall Changes

• Up-to-date contenton genetics, end-of-life, physician-assisted suicide, etc. keep students aware of the latest developments in the field. (ex. p. 174)
• All chapters now have a focus question identifying the most fundamental problem or theme of the text. (ex. p. 200)
• Each chapter opens with a boxed key term, which identifies a central issue in the text.  (ex. p. 299)
• References to documents that are revised by their sponsoring group have been updated. (ex. p. 328)
• Updated case studies and statistical information.

2) Chapter-by-Chapter Changes

Chapter 1

• Expanded discussions on utilitarianism and Kant.

Chapter 4

• Updated discussion on equity of distribution.
• Discussion of conditions and problems of maternal-fetal conflict has been updated and expanded upon.

Chapter 7

• Updated discussion on physician assisted suicide.

Chapter 12

• A discussion on the distinction between reproductive and therapeutic cloning has been added.