Legal and Ethical Aspects of Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Perioperative Medicine

by Stuart M. White, Timothy J. Baldwin

Overview

Clinical decisions in modern medical practice are increasingly influenced by ethical and legal issues, but few doctors have been formally trained in medical law and ethics, and are unsure of potential sources of accessible information, which leaves them exposed to public criticism and the threat of legal action. Perioperative medicine and critical care are, by their very nature, subjects in which issues of autonomy, dignity, consent, confidentiality, medical research, life and death decision making, and the rationing of health care resources are ever-present. This book provides a straightforward but comprehensive one-stop reference and should be essential reading for all medical and allied health care professionals who encounter ethicolegal problems during their management of patients.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781841102092
Publisher:	Greenwich Medical Media Limited
Publication date:	12/28/2004
Pages:	222
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.39(d)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction; 2. The English legal system; 3. Medical ethics; 4. Human Rights Act, 1998; 5. Consent; 6. Negligence; 7. Confidentiality, and access to medical records; 8. Abortion; 9. Products liability; 10. Research; 11. Death, and organ procurement; 12. Professional regulation, complaints and serious professional misconduct; 13. Resource allocation; 14. Appendix.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: David J. Dries, MD (University of Minnesota Medical School)
Description: This is a softbound introduction to medical and legal ethics. Although the authors indicate applications to anesthesia critical care and perioperative medicine, in fact, a broader scope is presented.
Purpose: A descriptive presentation of medical law is provided. Medical ethics is presented as it complements medical school training.
Audience: Trainees in medical schools, particularly in the United Kingdom, may benefit from this work. Authors include a consultant in anesthesia and a lecturer in law from the King's College in London.
Features: A core curriculum is provided in medical law and ethics including issues of consent, confidentiality, research, abortion, death and dying, professional regulation and resource allocation. The 13 chapters are written clearly with a brief reference list of primary and secondary sources. Tables are used to good advantage. In each chapter, pertinent ethical principles are discussed followed by pertinent British case law. A brief table of contents gives chapter pagination while a concluding subject index includes citation of specific cases and legislation. The appendix provides summaries of important legal cases in the British system and questions for further discussion. References date to within one year of publication.
Assessment: This is a worthy introduction to readers with an interest in these subjects in the United Kingdom. Extensive discussion based on the British legal system and cases will be less helpful to readers in other countries.

Doody's Review Service

"...this is an excellent book that givs a very thorough background on exactly what the title states: legal and ethical aspects of anesthesia, critical care, and perioperative medicine. It is well worth the price." Anesthesia & Analgesia, Frederic A. Berry, MD

From the Publisher

3 Stars from Doody