Fundamentals of Medical Ethics

Chapter
First Online:

Abstract

It is practically impossible to go through medical training, or even just to be around the medical field, without a discussion or two along the way about the proper course of action in a difficult medical situation. The challenging medical ethical questions are legion. The pressure of time may drive one past the initial questions of how to arrive at an answer to an ethical dilemma on to the concluding question, “What should we do?” This chapter is about those initial questions and asks what are some of the principles involved and what is a process that can be used to arrive at the answer to a difficult medical ethical challenge. In short, it is on the fundamentals of medical ethics.

Keywords

Medical ethics Ethics in medicine 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

References

  1. 1.
    Frankena WK. Ethics. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall; 1963. p. 4.Google Scholar
  2. 2.
    Taylor PW. Principles of ethics: an introduction. Belmont: Wadsworth; 1975. p. 55.Google Scholar
  3. 3.
    Baura GD. Engineering ethics: an industrial perspective. New York: Elsevier; 2006. p. 39–50.Google Scholar
  4. 4.
    Kant I. Groundwork of metaphysic of morals. Trans. H. J. Paton. New York: Harper Perennial; 2009.Google Scholar
  5. 5.
    Tobriner MO. Majority Opinion in Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California. California Supreme Court; July 1, 1976. 131 California Reporter 14.Google Scholar
  6. 6.
    Clark WP. Dissenting Opinion in Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California. California Supreme Court; July 1, 1976. 131 California Reporter 14.Google Scholar
  7. 7.
    National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. The Belmont report: ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subjects of research. Washington: DHEW Publication; 1978.Google Scholar
  8. 8.
    Beauchamp TL, Childress JF. Principles of biomedical ethics. 6th ed. New York: Oxford University Press; 2009.Google Scholar
  9. 9.
    Maclean A. Autonomy, informed consent and medical law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2009. p. 11–22.Google Scholar
  10. 10.
    Beauchamp TL, Walters LR. Contemporary issues in bioethics. 6th ed. Belmont: Wadsworth; 2003. p. 23.Google Scholar
  11. 11.
    Naugle DK. Worldview: the history of a concept. Michigan: Eerdmans; 2002.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of SurgeryUniversity of MissouriColumbiaUSA

Personalised recommendations