LAW5133 - Legal issues in medicine 506

Leader: Semester Two: Dr Fiona Hum

Offered

Clayton Second semester 2007 (Day)

Synopsis

Topics include: practising law and practising medicine.; principles governing clinical medical practice; the foundation of medical ethics; the relationship between medicine and allied health professions; the regulation of the medical profession; doctors, patients and the law and alternatives to litigation; medical negligence and consent; rights to refuse medical treatment, and competence and incompetence in law and medicine; medical confidentiality; law and psychiatry; the body as property; medical research: volunteers, institutional ethics committees and the law; medical treatment and the end of life; the beginnings of life: novel birth technologies and abortion; doctors in court.

Objectives

On completion of this unit students should have

1. acquired an understanding and appreciation of the rationales and roles of the legal and medical practice and structure ;
2. developed the ability to critically analyse and evaluate a number of major issues and concepts fundamental to the doctor - patient relationship; and
3. practiced and improved their research and writing skills as well as their skills in class/group participation and learning to understand , share and accept differing points of view.

Assessment

Research Paper (3,000 words): 40%
Examination (2 hour writing time plus 30 minutes reading time): 60% OR Examination (3 hours writing plus 30 minutes reading time): 100%

Contact hours

Three hours of lectures per week

Prerequisites

LAW1100 or LAW1101 and LAW1102 or Medical students in their third year of the MBBS