Practical Ethics for General Practice

by WendyARogers (Author), Annette J Braunack - Mayer (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2004

  $5.37

  There are several features of general practice which, taken together, make it a unique branch of medicine. General practitioners provide primary care which is comprehensive in nature; they are committed to seeing patients presenting with any kind of query, symptom or problem. The care they provide is ongoing, providing the opportunity to gather a large amount of information about their patients, and to develop personal relationships over time. These features affect the nature of ethical issues presenting in general practice in a number of ways, and raise ethical dilemmas not present in secondary and tertiary medical care. This book provides an accessible account of ethics in general practice, addressing concerns identified by practitioners. It is based on examples from general practice, and uses a contents list developed through discussions with GPs, trainers and GP registrars. In this clear and well-written book, the authors dispel the common perception that ethical analysis is too abstract or esoteric to be useful in the real world of complex problems and difficult decisions. Readers will gain practical insights into how to identify and analyse the ethical issues they encounter on a daily basis. The book shows how moral concepts and arguments can provide a way forward, or clarify practical responses in everyday general practice.

• New

  Paperback
  2009

  $62.73

  General practice provides the first point of contact to medical care for patients across the world. GPs have obligations to patients in their care, to the government for responsible use of resources, and to communities for the standard of health services provided. Ethics is at the heart of health services, dealing with fundamental questions about what ought to be valued, and why. The two disciplines inevitably impact upon each other, and this book brings them together to focus on practical ethics for general practitioners. In this update of a successful first edition, the authors aim to: help GPs appreciate the ethically significant nature of general practice, drawing attention to the ethical complexity of apparently mundane and everyday experience; present a thoughtful and thought-provoking account of the moral foundations of general practice, exploring how moral concepts such as trust, beneficence, respect for autonomy, and fairness take on unique meanings in the general practice setting; and to discuss some specific ethical issues in detail, offering solutions that are practical as well as ethically sound. The focus is on practice throughout, ensuring through real cases and discussions with practitioners that the book is not abstract and esoteric in its discussion of philosophical principles, but that it is applicable in the real world of the doctor's surgery. The authors guide their readers through basic approaches to ethical reasoning and use of a practical ethics analysis framework suitable for use in all ethical dilemmas in medicine. Themes covered include the authors' research-based account of trust and the doctor-patient relationship, acting in the patient's best interests, confidentiality, making decisions with patients, beginning and end of life issues, treating children and adolescents, and role conflicts in general practice.