This text is designed to tap into professional, public & media interest in the dilemmas of healthcare ethics and is a useful tool for healthcare professionals to consider some of the issues in detail including: the social creation of health law and healthcare; and access to healthcare and control of its quality.

While ethics has been addressed in the health care literature, relatively little attention has been paid to the subject in the field of social care. This book redresses the balance by examining theory, research, policy and practice in both fields. The analysis is set within the context of contemporary challenges facing health and social care, not only in Britain but internationally. Contributors from the UK, US and Australia consider ethical issues in health and social care research and governance; interprofessional and user perspectives; ethics in relation to human rights, the law, finance, management and provision; key issues of relevance to vulnerable groups such as children and young people, those with complex disabilities, older people and those with mental health problems and lifecourse issues - ethical perspectives on a range of challenging areas from new technologies of reproduction to euthanasia. This book is intended for academics, students and researchers in health and social care who need an up-to-date analysis of contemporary issues and debates. It will also be useful to practitioners in the public, private and voluntary sectors, including social workers, community workers, those working in the fields of disability and mental health and with older people.

This book explores the scope, application and role of medical law, regulatory norms and ethics, and addresses key challenges introduced by contemporary advances in biomedical research and healthcare. While mindful of national developments, the handbook supports a global perspective in its approach to medical law. Contributors include leading scholars in both medical law and ethics, who have developed specially commissioned pieces in order to present a critical overview and analysis of the current state of medical law and ethics. Each chapter offers comprehensive coverage of longstanding and traditional topics in medical law and ethics, and provides dynamic insights into contemporary and emerging issues in this heavily debated field. Topics covered include: Bioethics, health and human rights Medical liability Law and emerging health technologies Public health law Personalized medicine The law and ethics of access to medicines in developing countries Medical research in the genome era Emerging legal and ethical issues in reproductive technologies This advanced level reference work will prove invaluable to legal practitioners, scholars, students and researchers in the disciplines of law, medicine, genetics, dentistry, theology, and medical ethics.

This volume develops a theory of social justice for the specific context of health care policy, although it can also be applied to education, economic development and other social policy issues where resources are limited.

Foreword by Stephen Shortell, PhD, Dean of the School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley The ethical behavior of a healthcare organization is the expression of its moral core. This book shows how the integrity and values of professional healthcare administrators contribute to defining and implementing the organization's moral core. Through conceptual and practical tools--including 30 cases--this book provides a new perspective that recognizes that every decision you make and every activity you undertake have the potential to compromise or enhance the moral core of your healthcare organization. Decisions with ethical implications are described and explored through the experiences of thought leaders, scholars, and healthcare executives. The book demonstrates how personal integrity and values affect decision making, including: Understanding an organization's moral core and how it is expressed in the organization's culture and in operations and decisions at all levels Using concepts, resources, and tools that prepare you to sustain and enhance the moral core of the healthcare organization you manage Assessing the ethical and legal frameworks currently relied on by healthcare organizations to preserve this moral core Acknowledging why personal value systems are important and how they are developed by healthcare administrators Exploring the idea of organizational culture and ethical climate and examining what role they have in formulating and maintaining the moral core Learning how to recognize and manage moral distress, which develops when personal values conflict with the culture of the organization Application of the American College of Healthcare Executives competency assessment tool provides a unique learning experience and relates content to the specific elements of this tool. Instructor Resources include PowerPoint slides with discussion questions and teaching tips.

The utilization of information and communication technologies in almost all spheres of modern society has changed the social picture in significant ways while simultaneously leading to tensions with regard to traditional ethical and legal practices?particularly given the global context of its application. Where these technologies impact on the practice and implementation of healthcare, it is vital to recognize the extent and nature of the ethical and social impact both at the level of professional practice and the patient. Ethical, Legal and Social Issues in Medical Informatics presents a fundamental compendium of research on the ethical, social, and legal issues facing the healthcare industry as it adopts information technologies to provide fast, efficient, and cost effective healthcare. An essential resource for every reference library, this comprehensive book offers a multidisciplinary perspective, drawing from the expertise of a wide variety of global industries including law, ethics, medicine, philosophy, and computer science.