Ethical Analysis of Clinical Medicine: A Guide to Self-Evaluation

Abstract

Ethics is that branch of philosophy that deals with right and wrong and with the moral consequences of human action. A rapidly growing literature of medical ethics testifies to the importance and the immediacy of the ethical problems involved in patient care. Many physicians have an incomplete understanding of medical ethics and are often uncertain as to how to proceed in the resolution of ethical issues arising in the care of patients. This book is a response to the needs of these physicians. The book stimulates the reader to participate actively in the critical reasoning that is needed to resolve issues of medical ethics as they pertain to the care of the patient. It was written by a philosopher and two practicing physicians who have had a long interest in patient care, in the evaluation of ethical issues in medicine, and in the teaching of medical ethics. The authors use