Ethics Casebook for Hospitals: Practical Approaches to Everyday Cases »

Kuczewski, Mark G., PhD (Medical Coll of Wisconsin); Pinkus , Rosa Lynn B. (Univ of Pittsburgh)

This collection of thirty-one cases and commentaries addresses ethical problems commonly encountered by the average health care professional, not just those working on such hightech specialties as organ transplants or genetic engineering. It deals with familiar issues that are rarely considered in ethics casebooks, including such fundamental matters as informed consent, patient decision-making capacity, the role of the family, and end-of-life decisions. It also provides resources for basic but neglected ethical issues involving placement decisions for elderly or technologically dependent patients, rehabilitation care, confidentiality regarding AIDS, professional responsibility, and organizational and institutional ethics.

The authors describe in detail the perspectives of each party to the case, the kind of language that ethicists use to discuss the issues, and the outcome of the case. A short bibliography suggests useful articles for further reading or curriculum development.

Easily understood by readers with no prior training in ethics, this book offers guidance on everyday problems from across the broad continuum of care. It will be valuable for health-care professionals, hospital ethics committees, and for students preparing for careers in health-care professions.

Booknews

A collection of 31 cases with commentary and bibliographic resources, designed for educational efforts in hospitals. Most cases were submitted from hospitals not affiliated with an academic health science center, and reflect the day-to-day moral struggles in community hospitals in the US. Instead of focusing on esoteric procedures, cases deal with problems such as the family in medical decision making, rehabilitation ethics, and confidentiality. Kuczewski is the director of the graduate program in bioethics at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Pinkus is the director of the Consortium Ethics Program at the University of Pittsburgh. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)