Evidence-Based Medical Ethics: Cases for Practice-Based Learning

✍ Scribed by John E. Snyder MS, MD, Candace C. Gauthier PhD, Rosemarie Tong PhD (auth.)

• Publisher: Humana Press
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 277
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

In the modern practice of medicine, new challenges complicate the ethical care of patients. Today’s times require a contemporary take on the concept of medical ethics. The idea for this textbook was born out of a need for a teaching resource that merges medical ethics theory with the practical needs of modern clinical medicine. In Evidence-Based Medical Ethics: Cases for Practice-Based Learning, the authors address what has been missing in existing text books and ethics courses to date – clear-cut ethical and legal guidelines that provide a method for the reader to learn how to systematically manage dilemmas seen in the everyday practice of medicine. The reader is guided through several "typical" patient scenarios and prompted by various questions that should be entertained by the treating health care provider. Then, relevant evidence-based medicine, legal precedent, and the ethical theory that applies to the situation are revealed. Often, finding the "best" ethical solution for each problem is automatic, as the solution often becomes self-evident during information-gathering. This general method is reinforced throughout the text with multiple different cases, using a practice-based approach by building on the reader’s developing skills. Additionally, we have sought to emphasize a culturally competent manner in resolving these dilemmas, respectfully addressing issues of age, gender, and culture whenever possible. The main goal of Evidence-Based Medical Ethics: Cases for Practice-Bases Learning is to assist the reader in adapting a patient-centered and evidence-based approach to dilemmas faced in their future practice of medicine.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages i-xiv
An Introduction to Modern, Evidence-Based Medical Ethics....Pages 1-10
The Underlying Principles of Ethical Patient Care....Pages 11-16
Advance Directives: The Living Will and the Power of Attorney for Health Care ....Pages 17-20
Case-Based Ethical Dilemmas....Pages 21-23
When Consent and Capacity Collide....Pages 25-30
When a Patient's Health Care Agent Does Not Fulfill Her Obligations....Pages 31-37
When Coercion Dictates Care....Pages 39-45
When a Spouse Is Estranged....Pages 47-51
When a Patient Is Behaving Badly....Pages 53-58
When a Patient Becomes Agitated....Pages 59-64
When Patient Behavior Constitutes Abuse or Neglect....Pages 65-74
When a Patient Has “Burned His Bridges”....Pages 75-80
When a Patient Is Administratively Discharged....Pages 81-86
When a Patient Makes Questionable Decisions....Pages 87-92
When a Partner Is Excluded....Pages 93-102
When a Diagnosis Is Reportable....Pages 103-110
When Care Becomes Futile....Pages 111-118
When Age Is a Factor in Health Care Decisions....Pages 119-124
When a Patient Is Unidentifiable....Pages 125-129
When Next-of-Kin Disagree....Pages 131-138
When a Mistake Has Been Made....Pages 139-144
When a Patient Codes....Pages 145-149
When a Patient Places a Practitioner at Risk....Pages 151-159
When Patient Non-Adherence Dictates Therapeutic Options....Pages 161-166
When Family Members Limit Caregiver—Patient Communication....Pages 167-172
When a Patient Requires Significant Medical Resources....Pages 173-179
When a Patient's Belief System Affects His Care....Pages 181-186
When a Minor Requires Confidential Medical Care....Pages 187-193
When a Patient's Condition Is Terminal....Pages 195-200
Back Matter....Pages 201-240

✦ Subjects

Theory of Medicine/Bioethics; Internal Medicine; General Practice / Family Medicine