Medical Law & Ethics

For all courses in medical law and/or ethics in programs for nurses, medical assistants, and all allied health care professions

Complete, accessible, and up-to-date
Written for health professionals of all kinds—not lawyers— Medical Law and Ethics covers the full spectrum of topics that affect practice. Fully updated coverage includes: the legal system, professional liability and medical malpractice, physician’s responsibilities, medical records, ethical and bioethical issues, and current regulations. Actual legal cases illuminate subjects ranging from patient confidentiality and abortion to death and dying. Med Tips provide quick scenarios and guidance about law and ethics. Each chapter contains glossary terms, exercises, and an actual case; appendices provide current sample codes of ethics.

Written for health professionals of all kinds--not lawyers-- Medical Law and Ethics covers the full spectrum of topics that affect practice. Fully updated coverage includes: the legal system, professional liability and medical malpractice, physician's responsibilities, medical records, ethical and bioethical issues, and current regulations. Actual legal cases illuminate subjects ranging from patient confidentiality and abortion to death and dying. Med Tips provide quick scenarios and guidance about law and ethics. Each chapter contains glossary terms, exercises, and an actual case; appendices provide current sample codes of ethics. KEY TOPICS: Introduction to Medical Law, Ethics, and Bioethics; The Legal System; Essentials of the Legal System for Healthcare Professionals; Working in Today's Healthcare Environment; The Physician-Patient Relationship; Professional Liability and Medical Malpractice; Public Duties of the Healthcare Professional; Workplace Law and Ethics; The Medical Record; Patient Confidentiality and HIPAA; Ethical and Bioethical Issues in Medicine; Ethical Issues Relating to Life; Death and Dying; Future Trends in Healthcare. MARKET: This title is intended for all courses in medical law and/or ethics in programs for nurses, medical assistants, and all allied health care professions.

Bonnie F. Fremgen, Ph.D., is a former associate dean of the Allied Health Program at Robert Morris College and was vice-president of a hospital in suburban Chicago. She has taught medical law and ethics courses as well as clinical and administrative topics. She has broad interests and experiences in the healthcare field, including hospitals, nursing homes, and physicians’ offices. She currently has 2 patents on a unique circulation-assisting wheelchair.

Dr. Fremgen holds a nursing degree as well as a master’s in healthcare administration. She received her Ph.D. from the College of Education at the University of Illinois. She has performed postdoctoral studies in medical law at Loyola University Law School in Chicago.

Dr. Fremgen has taught ethics at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana; University of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan; and Saint Xavier University, Chicago, Illinois.

Brief Contents

1. Introduction to Medical Law, Ethics, and Bioethics

PART I THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT

2. The Legal System
3. Essentials of the Legal System for Healthcare Professionals
4. Working in Today’s Healthcare Environment

PART II THE HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENT

5. The Physician-Patient Relationship
6. Professional Liability and Medical Malpractice
7. Public Duties of the Healthcare Professional
8. Workplace Law and Ethics
9. The Medical Record
10. Patient Confidentiality and HIPAA

PART III MEDICAL ETHICS

11. Ethical and Bioethical Issues in Medicine
12. Ethical Issues Relating to Life
13. Death and Dying
14. Future Trends in Healthcare