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  • Book
  • © 2016

Ethical Counselling and Medical Decision-Making in the Era of Personalised Medicine

A Practice-Oriented Guide

  • Offers a reference guide to ethical counselors, clinicians and health care professionals in general
  • Includes case studies presenting modern-day ethical dilemmas that can influence medical decision-making
  • Proposes a way of empowering patients by increasing their awareness in the decision-making process
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology (BRIEFSAPPLSCIENCES)

Part of the book sub series: SpringerBriefs on Ethical and Legal Issues in Biomedicine and Technology (ELIBT)

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Table of contents (11 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xix
  2. Methodology

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. Ethics Consultation Services: The Scenario

      • Alma Linkeviciute, Virginia Sanchini
      Pages 3-12
    3. Ethical Counselling for Patients

      • Giovanni Boniolo, Virginia Sanchini
      Pages 13-20
    4. Ethical Counselling for Physicians

      • Giovanni Boniolo, Virginia Sanchini
      Pages 21-27
    5. Nocebo and the Patient–Physician Communication

      • Luana Colloca, Yvonne Nestoriuc
      Pages 29-37
    6. Reasons and Emotions

      • Marco Annoni
      Pages 39-48
    7. The Centrality of Probability

      • Giovanni Boniolo, David Teira Serrano
      Pages 49-62
  3. Ethical Issues

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 63-63
    2. Genetic Testing and Reproductive Choices

      • Paolo Maugeri
      Pages 65-75
    3. The ‘Right-not-to-Know’

      • Luca Chiapperino
      Pages 77-88
    4. Incidental Findings

      • Maria Damjanovicova
      Pages 89-95
    5. Oncofertility

      • Alma Linkeviciute, Fedro Alessandro Peccatori
      Pages 97-104
    6. Overdiagnosis

      • Giulia Ferretti
      Pages 105-113
  4. Back Matter

    Pages 115-117

About this book

This book offers an overview of the main questions arising when biomedical decision-making intersects ethical decision-making. It reports on two ethical decision-making methodologies, one addressing the patients, the other physicians. It shows how patients’ autonomous choices can be empowered by increasing awareness of ethical deliberation, and at the same time it supports healthcare professionals in developing an ethical sensitivity, which they can apply in their daily practice.

The book highlights the importance and relevance of practicing bioethics in the age of personalized medicine. It presents concrete cases studies dealing with cancer and genetic diseases, where difficult decisions need to be made by all the parties involved:  patients, physicians and families. Decisions concern not only diagnostic procedures and treatments, but also moral values, religious beliefs and ways of seeing life and death, thus adding further layers of complexity to biomedical decision-making. This book, which is strongly rooted in the philosophical tradition, features non-directive counseling and patient-centeredness. It provides a concise yet comprehensive and practice-oriented guide to decision-making in modern healthcare.  

Editors and Affiliations

  • Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Chi, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy

    Giovanni Boniolo

  • Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology (IEO, Milan, Italy

    Virginia Sanchini

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access