 | | Medical Ethics: Ethical frameworks for complex medical decision making in older patients: A narrative review | Medical Ethics: Ethical frameworks for complex medical decision making in older patients: A narrative review
Medical Ethics: Ethical frameworks for complex medical decision making in older patients: A narrative review
Overview With an ageing population, physicians are more and more faced with complex medical and moral situations. Medical professional guidelines are often of limited use in these cases. To assist the decision-making process, several ethical frameworks have been proposed. Ethical frameworks are analytical tools that are designed to assist physicians and other involved healthcare workers in complex moral decision-making situations. Most frameworks are step-by-step plans that can be followed chronologically during moral case deliberations. Some of these step-by-step plans provide specific moral guidance as to what would constitute a morally acceptable conclusion, while others do not. In this narrative review we will present and discuss the ethical frameworks used for medically complex situations in older people that have been proposed in literature. Twenty-three studies were included in the review, containing seventeen different frameworks. Twenty studies described step-by-step-frameworks, with the number of steps varying from three to twelve. In four studies suggestions were made as how to balance conflicting moral values. Ethical frameworks are meant to assist healthcare professionals who are faced with morally complex decisions in older patients. In our view, these frameworks should contain a step-by-step plan, moral values and an approach to balancing moral values.
Acknowledgements: Authors Rozemarijn Lidewij van Bruchem-Visser, Gert van Dijk, Inez de Beaufort, Francesco Mattace-Raso Journal Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics | 3 | | R 465.00 |  |
| | Medical Ethics: Managed Health Care: Protestation and Dissent? | Medical Ethics: Managed Health Care: Protestation and Dissent?
Medical Ethics: Managed Health Care: Protestation and Dissent?
Overview Recent times has put the words ‘dissent’ and ‘protest’ at the centre of our vocabulary. Practitioners are speaking out against perceived injustices, voicing opposition to interventions they disagree with and organising to effect change. ‘Dissent’ is an expression of opinions at variance with those commonly or officially held. ‘Protest’ is closely related to ‘dissent’ but they are different. ‘Protest is an expression or declaration of objection or disapproval, often in opposition to something where a person is considered powerless to prevent or avoid’. Managed care for SA healthcare in general, is a fact of life.
In essence, for the purpose of this article, Managed Health Care can be defined as a group of activities intended to reduce costs of health care provision and providing health insurance whilst improving the quality of care. Managed care, in practical terms encompasses the management of cost, management of information and management of risk.
It is important for practitioners to have a reasonable understanding of the principles of managed care and the role of the Managed Care Organisations. At times, there are cries of foul play aimed at the interventions instituted by the managed Care Organisations where, in fact, such interventions are indeed lawful.
Author Harry Rosen
| 3 | | R 465.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: Ethics in Practice -The Obligations that Define a Profession | Medical Ethics: Ethics in Practice -The Obligations that Define a Profession
Medical Ethics: Ethics in Practice -The Obligations that Define a Profession
Overview The use of the word ‘profession’ has expanded so far beyond its original meaning that a clear definition has become obscured and marred by colloquial usage. It is not uncommon to find the term ‘professional’ misused to describe sportsmen, tradesmen and even politicians. Yet, when we speak about a ‘professional’ there is a tacit understanding that only individuals engaged in certain occupations belong to that category: doctors, lawyers, teachers. A fundamental distinction between a profession and any other occupation, is that individuals engaged in a profession have an ethical obligation to whomever they provide their services. In other words, a profession is required to have a Code of Ethics. Unlike laws and regulations, which are prescriptive and rigid, the principles of ethics are flexible and how they are applied depends on the individual practitioner. It is these responsibilities and expectations that are the hallmarks of a profession.
Author Harry Rosen
| 3 | | R 485.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics - A Labour Intensive 2020 | Medical Ethics - A Labour Intensive 2020
Medical Ethics - A Labour Intensive 2020
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO LABOUR RELATED ETHICAL AND LEGISLATIVE CHALLENGES IN 2020
Overview The year 2020 has created a world characterised by ‘new norms’, not all of which are because of the COVID 19 pandemic. Examples include the introduction of parental leave entitlement in January 2020 which has been on the cards for some time. Nevertheless, considering the avalanche of information relating specifically to the pandemic, much of which is contradictory , confusion persists for both practice owners and employees when faced with challenges encountered in practice and where the desired guidelines appear unclear.
This article addresses commonly encountered experiences in practice in the form of a practical guide to both practitioner and staff member, employer and employee and encompasses Family Responsibility Leave, new Parental Leave legislation, Smoking at Work, Retirement, Chairing Disciplinary Hearings and COVID 19 in the workplace. This article is entitled ‘Labour Intensive 2020’ which indicates a large amount of work in relation to outputs. Indeed, there is work involved to ensure that the appropriate procedures and actions are instituted in accordance with existing ethical and legislative frameworks.
Nevertheless, there is a well-known axiom that states that the amount of energy required to fix something is far greater than the energy required to prevent it.
Author Harry Rosen
| 3 | | R 460.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: Social Media Violations | Medical Ethics: Social Media Violations
Medical Ethics: Social Media Violations
“I remember when Blackberry and Apple were just fruits.”
Overview
In practical terms, social media increase connectivity and is one of the fastest growing industries in the world.
Social media are forms of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos)
Businesses large and small are turning to social media as an outreach to potential customers worldwide, to advertise their products and services, and to engage with customers. In recent times we have seen how social signals are becoming an important part of search engine optimization.
There is no doubt that a well- planned social media strategy has the potential to make or take down a brand. For example, Lady Gaga (personal branding) quickly became a smash hit, and social media played a major role in her rise to stardom. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all other social media websites are great communication tools. After all, they help us be connected to people from all over the world. However, if poorly managed they can cause huge damage.
Author Harry Rosen
| 3 | | R 465.00 | |
| | Medical ethics: Ethical Guidelines to Social Media | Medical ethics: Ethical Guidelines to Social Media
Medical ethics: Ethical Guidelines to Social Media
Ethical Guidelines Social Media Overview
This guideline was developed to help health practitioners understand their obligations when using Social Media. The guideline applies to all health practitioners registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa Social Media describes the online tools and electronic platforms that people use to share content such as opinions, information, photos, videos, and audio. The use of Social Media is expanding rapidly as individuals and organisations are embracing user-generated content through social networks, internet forums and personal blogs. Health professionals need to be aware that there are potential risks involved in the sharing of information via Social Media, even if the consequences are unintended. A key objective of the HPCSA and its Professional Boards is to guide the profession and protect the public. Some health practitioners may find Social Media beneficial as it allows them to keep updated on the latest healthcare developments through reputable user generated content. Acknowledgement Journal: Ethical and Professional Rules of the Health Professions Council of South Africa
| 3 | | R 425.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: Ethical Guidelines for the Withholding and Withdrawing of Treatment | Medical Ethics: Ethical Guidelines for the Withholding and Withdrawing of Treatment
Medical Ethics: Ethical Guidelines for the Withholding and Withdrawing of Treatment
Overview
Health care practitioners have a responsibility to make the care of their patients their first concern. The guidance in these guidelines is intended to provide an ethical framework of good practice for health care practitioners in circumstances where they are faced with making a decision on whether to withhold or withdraw life-prolonging treatment. It takes account of existing law in this area, that allowing for withholding and withdrawing of life sustaining treatments and that which prohibits killing, active euthanasia, and assisted suicide.
The health care professional may alleviate the suffering of a terminally ill patient by withholding treatment i.e. allowing the natural process of death to follow its course, provided there is consultation with another health care practitioner who is an expert in the field, and where available, discussions with the closest relatives. The HPCSA also expects health care practitioners to observe the provisions of the World Medical Association Declaration on Terminal Illness.
Acknowledgement
Journal: Ethical and Professional Rules of the Health Professions Council of South Africa
| 3 | | R 485.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: Artificial Intelligence Ethics – Too Principled to Fail? | Medical Ethics: Artificial Intelligence Ethics – Too Principled to Fail?
Medical Ethics: Artificial Intelligence Ethics – Too Principled to Fail?
Overview
AI Ethics is now a global topic of discussion in academic and policy circles. At least 63 public-private initiatives have produced statements describing high-level principles, values, and other tenets to guide the ethical development, deployment, and governance of AI. According to recent meta-analyses, AI Ethics has seemingly converged on a set of principles that closely resemble the four classic principles of medical ethics. Despite the initial credibility granted to a principled approach to AI Ethics by the connection to principles in medical ethics, there are reasons to be concerned about its future impact on AI development and governance. Significant differences exist between medicine and AI development that suggest a principled approach in the latter may not enjoy success comparable to the former. Compared to medicine, AI development lacks (1) common aims and fiduciary duties, (2) professional history and norms, (3) proven methods to translate principles into practice, and (4) robust legal and professional accountability mechanisms. These differences suggest we should not yet celebrate consensus around high-level principles that hide deep political and normative disagreement.
Acknowledgment Author
Brent Mittelstadti Journal
Nature Machine Intelligence November 2019
| 3 | | R 420.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: What is the place for philosophy within the field of medicine? A review of contemporary issues in medical ethics | Medical Ethics: What is the place for philosophy within the field of medicine? A review of contemporary issues in medical ethics
Medical Ethics: What is the place for philosophy within the field of medicine? A review of contemporary issues in medical ethics
Overview This extended essay seeks to unpack some of the key aspects of philosophy which are applicable to medical thought and practice. It proceeds via an analytical discussion of the contemporary debate in three key areas of medical ethics: euthanasia, concepts of health and disease and psychiatry. The main claims are as follows:
1. The case for legalising euthanasia is strong on philosophical grounds but there are numerous practical obstacles. 2. Elements from the normative and naturalistic definitions of disease are necessary for a thorough definition that dodges common objections to either. 3. Mental health cannot be subsumed under a purely physicalist model of health rendering it distinctly different from other fields in Medicine.
Through a detailed discussion of three salient issues in the philosophy of medicine, it is argued that the application of profound philosophical thought to medicine and its practices reveals a depth that necessitates exploration before simply following the aims of curing all. Philosophical rigour matched with modern medicine has the potential to engage patients and help them make independent, informed decisions and assist physicians to think more clearly, analytically and empathetically.
Acknowledgement
Author Richard Fenton Journal Philosophy, Ethics and Humanities in Medicine
| 3 | | R 465.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: Medical Students’ Perspectives on Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide and Their Views on Legalising These Practices in SA | Medical Ethics: Medical Students’ Perspectives on Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide and Their Views on Legalising These Practices in SA
Medical Ethics: Medical Students’ Perspectives on Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide and Their Views on Legalising These Practices in SA
Overview
Euthanasia/physician assisted suicide have been a controversial and sometimes taboo topic for a long time, not only in SA but also internationally. A recent (SA) judicial case has seen the topic debated again. Consensus on accepting or abolishing these practices in SA has yet to be reached. All relevant role players need to be adequately engaged before policy can be informed.
The objectives were to determine the views of future doctors (medical students) regarding euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) and to ascertain their stance on its legalisation in South Africa (SA).
Many factors influenced participants’ responses, but differences in opinion between and within the various religious groups were particularly evident in the responses received/ More than half the respondents in this study were open to legalising euthanasia/PAS, substantially more than in previous studies. However, only 41.9% of respondents would consider performing euthanasia/ PAS, for certain patients. Views of other healthcare workers as well as the public are required before policy can be informed.
Acknowledgement
Authors R K Jacobs and M Hendricks
Journal SAMJ RESEARCH | 3 | | R 425.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: Challenges in Expanding Access to Dialysis in South Africa—Expensive Modalities, Cost Constraints and Human Rights | Medical Ethics: Challenges in Expanding Access to Dialysis in South Africa—Expensive Modalities, Cost Constraints and Human Rights
Medical Ethics: Challenges in Expanding Access to Dialysis in South Africa—Expensive Modalities, Cost Constraints and Human Rights
Medical Ethics: Challenges in Expanding Access to Dialysis in South Africa—Expensive Modalities, Cost Constraints and Human Rights
Overview
South Africa is a country with two distinct health sectors, which are both characterised by inequalities. Within this context, patients with end stage renal disease face unique and sometimes impenetrable barriers to accessing dialysis. There are a number of reasons for this situation, which include the South African government’s endorsement of discordant, unequal policies, which disadvantage the most vulnerable; a lack of robust national guidelines; and divisive rationing practices, which are ad hoc and place the burden of responsibility for rationing dialysis on the clinician.
In this paper, we trace the socio-economic mechanisms of how we have come to be in this situation, and overlay this with a detailed examination of South African legislation. Finally, we make comprehensive practical recommendations for rectifying the situation, which include engagement with key stakeholders, public-private partnerships, and more equitable funding mechanisms.
Acknowledgement
Authors Harriet Etheredge and June Fabian
Journal Healthcare (Basel) Volume 5 Issue 3
| 3 | | R 455.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: Because I want to be informed, to be part of the decision-making”: Patients’ insights on informed consent practices by healthcare professionals in South Africa | Medical Ethics: Because I want to be informed, to be part of the decision-making”: Patients’ insights on informed consent practices by healthcare professionals in South Africa
Medical Ethics: Because I want to be informed, to be part of the decision-making”: Patients’ insights on informed consent practices by healthcare professionals in South Africa
Medical Ethics: Because I want to be informed, to be part of the decision-making”: Patients’ insights on informed consent practices by healthcare professionals in South Africa
Overview
Informed consent (IC) is a legally enforceable right in South Africa based on constitutionally protected rights to bodily integrity and well-being. In terms of the law, patients cannot be involved in medical treatment or research without IC. Healthcare providers must inform patients about diagnosis, risks, benefits, treatment options, and right of refusal in a language that patients understand based their literacy level. This study reports an empirical study on patients’ perceptions of IC as practiced by doctors and nurses in South Africa.
This study reveals that South African patients are aware of the right to IC, but many were vulnerable due to indigence. Barriers to IC include poverty, language, and low educational level. South African patients prefer disclosure of all material risks, better communication skills by healthcare workers, and a shift toward informed or shared healthcare decision-making.
Acknowledgement
Author Chima SC
Journal Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice Suppl:S46-56.
Publisher: Wolters Kluwer - Medknow
| 3 | | R 455.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: Ethical considerations in forensic genetics research on tissue samples collected post-mortem in Cape Town, South Africa. | Medical Ethics: Ethical considerations in forensic genetics research on tissue samples collected post-mortem in Cape Town, South Africa.
Medical Ethics: Ethical considerations in forensic genetics research on tissue samples collected post-mortem in Cape Town, South Africa.
Overview
The use of tissue collected at a forensic post-mortem for forensic genetics research purposes remains of ethical concern as the process involves obtaining informed consent from grieving family members. Two forensic genetics research studies using tissue collected from a forensic post-mortem were recently initiated at our institution and were the first of their kind to be conducted in Cape Town, South Africa.
This article discusses some of the ethical challenges that were encountered in these research projects. Among these challenges was the adaptation of research workflows to fit in with an exceptionally busy service delivery that is operating with limited resources. Whilst seeking guidance from the literature regarding research on deceased populations, it was noted that next of kin of decedents are not formally recognised as a vulnerable group in the existing ethical and legal frameworks in South Africa. The authors recommend that research in the forensic mortuary setting is approached using guidance for vulnerable groups, and the benefit to risk standard needs to be strongly justified. Lastly, when planning forensic genetics research, consideration must be given to the potential of uncovering incidental findings, funding to validate these findings and the feedback of results to family members; the latter of which is recommended to occur through a genetic counsellor.
In conclusion it is hoped that these experiences will contribute towards a formal framework for conducting forensic genetic research in medico-legal mortuaries in South Africa.
Acknowledgement
Author:
Heathfield LJ, Maistry S, Martin LJ, Ramesar R, de Vries J
Journal:
BMC medical ethics.
Publisher:
BioMed Central
| 3 | | R 370.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: Sex differences in medico-legal action against doctors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. | Medical Ethics: Sex differences in medico-legal action against doctors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Medical Ethics: Sex differences in medico-legal action against doctors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Overview:
Methods: Studies reporting original data, written in English or French, examining the association between sex and medico-legal action against doctors were included. Two reviewers independently extracted study characteristics and outcome data from the full texts of the studies meeting the eligibility criteria. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. A random effect meta-analysis model was used to summarize and assess the effect of doctors' sex on medico-legal action. Extracted outcomes included disciplinary action by a medical regulatory board, malpractice experience, referral to a medical regulatory body, complaints received by a healthcare complaints body, criminal cases, and medico-legal matter with a medical defence organisation.
Results:
Overall, 32 reports examining the association between doctors' sex and medico-legal action were included in the systematic review (n=4,054,551), of which 27 found that male doctors were more likely to have experienced medico-legal action. 19 reports were included in the meta-analysis (n=3,794,486, including 20,666 cases). Results showed male doctors had nearly two and a half times the odds of being subject to medico-legal action than female doctors. Heterogeneity was present in all meta-analyses.
Conclusion:
Male doctors are more likely to have had experienced medico-legal actions compared to female doctors. This finding is robust internationally, across outcomes of varying severity, and over time.
Acknowledgement
Author:
Unwin E, Woolf K, Wadlow C, Potts HW, Dacre J
Journal:
BMC medicine.
Publisher:
Crossmark
https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12916-015-0413-5?site=bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com
| 3 | | R 400.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: A Private Right Called Bill. | Medical Ethics: A Private Right Called Bill.
Medical Ethics: A Private Right Called Bill.
OVERVIEW
Privacy is defined by a number of English dictionaries as the quality or condition of being secluded from the presence or view of others. More appropriately privacy is also defined as’ the state of being free from unsanctioned intrusion’.
In 2014, with the advent information technology advances, social networking, sale of database information and negligent protection of personal information, in general, amongst others, the necessity to protect personal and private information has been recognized by the law makers. As such, protection of personal information has been incorporated in various forms of legislation, including the SA Constitution, The Patients’ Rights Charter, the Health Professions Act and the very recent Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI).
The Health Professions Council obligates all registered practitioners to comply with Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The importance of Ethics, Human Rights and Medical Law is emphasized. This article thus encompasses all three in the form of an overview related to the respect for privacy. Of significance is the Bill of Rights.
| 3 | | R 400.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: Communication in the Doctor Patient Relationship. | Medical Ethics: Communication in the Doctor Patient Relationship.
Medical Ethics: Communication in the Doctor Patient Relationship.
OVERVIEW
The word ‘communication’ is derived from the Latin, ‘communis’ meaning ‘commonness’. In essence, effective communication is the establishment of a common frame of reference between practitioner and patient i.e. ‘all on the same page‘.
At least as long ago as the writing of the Hippocratic Oath, it was well understood that physicians’ communication with their patients was an essential part of successful therapy. The relationship between a practitioner and patient should be based upon trust, which develops primarily through communication. In much of health care, accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment depend upon the patient’s truthful and complete disclosure of personal health information.
Communication is also a process involving the ‘transmitter’ and receivers. These roles, with particular reference to the practitioner/patient relationship, are interchangeable. There are skills required as there are ethical considerations. | 3 | | R 350.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: Decision Making in a Professional Practice. | Medical Ethics: Decision Making in a Professional Practice.
Medical Ethics: Decision Making in a Professional Practice.
OVERVIEW
The terms "Ethics" and "Morals" are derived respectively from the Greek and Latin words for "customs, practices and rituals", and what ethicist Robert Bellal has called "the habits of the heart".
Although customs may appear to be superficial behaviors, they often reflect the society's deepest, conscious sense of right and wrong. Ethics as a discipline is the study and analysis of values and standards related to duty, responsibility and right and wrong behaviour.
The obligations that health care professionals have towards their patients, each other and society, derive from ethical values held by the Practitioners discipline and the larger community. Since the time of Hippocrates, some of the more important moral values in health care have included trust, respect for life, benefiting others, avoiding harm to others, confidentiality and collegiality. Reflection of ethical issues is an essential compliment to the professional's specialised knowledge and skills in meeting basic human needs.
| 3 | | R 350.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: Ethics of the Placebo in Clinical Practice. | Medical Ethics: Ethics of the Placebo in Clinical Practice.
Medical Ethics: Ethics of the Placebo in Clinical Practice.
OVERVIEW
The placebo is not easy to define. As a matter of fact, some scholars are despaired of the possibility of ever finding an adequate definition for the term. However, many current definitions invoke the non-specific nature of the treatment effects as the leading feature of the placebo.
The object of this article was however to address the question of the placebo in clinical practice. This article nonetheless argued that the placebo could be an effective treatment. The article further argued that the use of the placebo does not entail deception. This article equally highlighted guidelines under which the placebo may be used for clinical purposes. This article further suggested that in selected cases, the use of the placebo may also be morally imperative. It is imperative to state that the arguments in this article were presented by three case vignettes.
The article was concluded that the placebo can be beneficial to physicians of many clinical situations
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
AUTHORS:
Lichtenberg U Heresco-Levy, U Nitzan
JOURNAL:
BMJ Journal of Medical Ethics
| 3 | | R 425.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: Healthcare Professional’s Patient Relationship. | Medical Ethics: Healthcare Professional’s Patient Relationship.
Medical Ethics: Healthcare Professional’s Patient Relationship.
OVERVIEW
This online course discusses respect and equal treatment; ending a patient-HP relationship; HIV/Aids; sexual attraction; treating family members; communication and consent with a case study included; obstacles for good communication plus case study; abusing medical resources including case study; futile treatment.
The health care profession-patient relationship is the cornerstone of medical practice and therefore of medical ethics. The Declaration of Geneva requires of the health care profession that “The health of my patient will be my first consideration,” and the International Code of Medical Ethics states, “A health care profession shall owe his patients complete loyalty and all the resources of his science.” The traditional interpretation of the health care professional-patient relationship as a paternalistic one, in which the health care professional made the decision and the patient submitted to them, has been widely rejected in recent years, both in ethics and in law.
Since many patients are either unable or unwilling to make decisions about their medical care, however, patient autonomy is often very problematic. This on-line course will deal with two topics that pose particularly vexing problems to Health Care Professionals in their daily practice: respect and equal treatment, communication and consent.
| 3 | | R 420.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: How parents and practitioners experience research without consent involving Children with life threatening conditions. | Medical Ethics: How parents and practitioners experience research without consent involving Children with life threatening conditions.
Medical Ethics: How parents and practitioners experience research without consent involving Children with life threatening conditions.
INTRODUCTION
Improvements to life-saving treatments for critically ill children have been limited by the ethical and practical challenges involved in seeking consent for clinical trial entry.1 The process of seeking informed consent requires time, but this is severely constrained in emergency situations, such as acute resuscitation and critical care,2 where even minimal treatment delays are likely to be harmful.3 Parents are not always present when a child requires emergency treatment or a mother of a critically ill neonate may be sedated. Children’s critical care set-tings are intensely emotional, and some parents may not wish to be approached about research when their child is critically ill.4 Such challenges pose dif?culties for doctors and nurses recruiting to clinical trials in ensuring that parental consent has been informed, the participation voluntary and the recruitment process adhered to ethical principles.5 The last decade has seen inter-national efforts to ?nd alternatives to prospective informed consent so that vital research can continue to advance evidence-based children’s medicine.1 | 3 | | R 460.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: The Truth Be Told. | Medical Ethics: The Truth Be Told.
Medical Ethics: The Truth Be Told.
OVERVIEW
“We're having a little problem with lying at my house: My son won't do it”. "Do you like my new car?" asks his work colleague. My son is paralyzed into muteness by his conscience. His friend is hurt. "Couldn't you find something nice to say about it, like the colour?" I ask. I am thinking of the story about Judy Garland, who, after seeing a pal in a terrible play, swept into her friend's dressing room with the line, "How do you do it, my dear, night after night?"
The philosopher Immanuel Kant argued that truth-telling is a "perfect duty," one so basic that it cannot be overridden by other values—not even saving the life of a friend, let alone sparing someone's feelings. In Kant's formulation, if asked outright, a person would be obligated to tell a murderer the whereabouts of his intended victim. Of course, many have responded to Kant with penetrating philosophical counter-arguments
Philosophers Maguire and Fargnoli use Kant's stance on lying to explore the limits of the quest for universal moral principles. "Universalization is an unrealistic and inaccurate abstraction that passes over the fact that there are exceptions to valid moral principles," they write. "To protect other values, like the life of an intended victim or a legitimate secret, exceptions to truth-telling must be made." | 3 | | R 420.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: Uninformed Consent. | Medical Ethics: Uninformed Consent.
Medical Ethics: Uninformed Consent.
OVERVIEW
There is an argument put forward by medical schemes, administrators and their agents that access to record cards of patients is an automatic right as members of medical schemes, when joining a medical scheme, acknowledge that they are obligated to adhere to the scheme rules which includes provision of personal information; hence consent has been granted.
Importantly, the HPCSA Ethical Rules and recently introduced legislation such as the Protection of Private Information Act dictate that express informed consent must be obtained prior to the performance of professional acts or sharing of personal information.
Consent, therefore based on an assumption or in the absence of express informed consent can only be regarded as uninformed consent. This includes implied consent whereby a patient pitches for an examination or sits in the chair and interpreted by the practitioner as consent.
| 3 | | R 320.00 | |
| | Medical Ethics: What Do International Ethics Guidelines Say In Terms of The Scope of Medical Research Ethics | Medical Ethics: What Do International Ethics Guidelines Say In Terms of The Scope of Medical Research Ethics
Medical Ethics: What Do International Ethics Guidelines Say In Terms of The Scope of Medical Research Ethics
OVERVIEW
The question of ‘which is an ethical issue and which is not’ often arises doing research ethics. There are however many internationally known ethic guidelines and depending on which ethics guideline we consult, we may have various answers to this question. It is however ironical that we do not have a harmonized document which tells us what these various guidelines say and shows us the areas of consensus.
For this study, we extracted relevant information or imperatives from five internationally-known ethics guidelines and took note where the imperatives came from. Results of this research nonetheless indicated that there is no consensus on many of the imperatives and that in only 8.2 % of the imperatives were there at least moderate consensus. The results further indicated that there was a lack of consensus in most of imperatives from the five internationally-known ethics guidelines.
The reason was however partly attributed to the differences among the guidelines in terms of their levels of specification as well as conceptual/ideological differences.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
AUTHORS:
Rosemarie D. L. C. Bernabe, Ghislaine J. M. W. van Thiel and Johannes J. M. van Delden
JOURNAL: BMC Medical Ethics
| 3 | | R 330.00 | |