Medical Ethics, Law and Human Rights : A South African Perspective

Healthcare delivery in the 21st century can be very complex. Clinical consultations often raise scientific, ethical and legal challenges. While scientific issues may be resolved using an evidence-based medicine (EBM) approach, ethical theory is needed to justify decision-making in the face of ethical conflict. Medical ethics, law and human rights: a South African perspective provides the conceptual background and analytic skills necessary for the resolution of ethical dilemmas encountered in the South African healthcare environment. Medical ethics, law and human rights: a South African perspective uses case studies to help the healthcare team to identify and analyse ethical, moral and value concepts, and to apply these to scenarios that they may encounter on a daily basis. Part 1 explores theories and principles of ethics, introduces medical law, discusses health and human rights, and also makes the transition from theory to practice. Part 2 looks at specific topics in bioethics, such as HIV/AIDS, reproduction and genetics.In view of the increasing emphasis on ethical considerations in healthcare from the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), Medical ethics, law and human rights: a South African perspective is essential reading for health science students, as well as for practising healthcare professionals.