CHB4203

Ethical issues in patient care

Udo Schüklenk (on campus); John McKie (distance education)

12 points -2 hours per week (on-campus students) -First semester -Clayton -Distance education students can take this subject in either semester -Prerequisite: CHB4101 or equivalent

Objectives When successfully completed, students should have acquired the skills to bring a rigorous framework of principles of health care ethics to the analysis and evaluation of certain ethical issues in patient care, and to think critically about key concepts involved in those principles.

Synopsis This subject aims to develop students' critical and analytical understanding of certain key ethical issues in patient care. The subject focuses initially on four main ethical principles commonly appealed to in this context: autonomy, privacy, beneficence and justice. These principles and the relations and conflicts between them will be examined in terms of a variety of broad ethical issues which arise in patient care, such as paternalism, confidentiality, informed consent, IVF, surrogacy, resource allocation, and euthanasia. There will also be some discussion of issues relating to the participation of patients in research clinical trials, and competing models of health professional-patient relationships.

Assessment Essay (2000 words): 20% -Essay (3000 words): 40% -Take-home exam (3000 words): 40% -Distance education students are also required to keep a journal, recording their work for each topic.

Prescribed texts

Beauchamp T L and Childress J F Principles of biomedical ethics 4th edn, OUP, 1994

Recommended texts

Gorovitz S and others (eds) Moral problems in medicine Prentice-Hall, 1983
Kuhse H and Singer P (ed.) Companion to bioethics Blackwell, 1998
A book of readings will also be provided by the centre.

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