Overview

An authoritative book on one of the most fundamental and contentious issues for health care professionals Fully updated to include provisions of the Mental Capacity Act (April 2007); the latest policy on advance directives and the impact of the Human Rights Act on such decisions Provides guidance on the appointment of welfare attorneys to make health care decisions once capacity is lost Discusses recent cases, including Burke, baby MB, and Wyatt Written by medical ethics professionals in consultation with the appropriate medical and legal experts and in agreement with the General Medical Council's guidelines

Full Product Details

Author:   British Medical Association ,  British Medical Association
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Imprint:   Wiley-Blackwell (an imprint of John Wiley & Sons Ltd)
Edition:   3rd Edition
Dimensions:   Width: 14.00cm , Height: 0.90cm , Length: 21.70cm
Weight:   0.190kg
ISBN:  

9781405159579

ISBN 10:   140515957
Pages:   144
Publication Date:   15 March 2007
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

Table of Contents

Medical Ethics Committee viii Editorial board for the third edition x Acknowledgements for the third edition xi Introduction xii Part 1: How to use this guidance 1 1. Scope, purpose and structure of this guidance 1 Part 2: Defining key terms and concepts 3 2. The primary goal of medicine 3 3. Life-prolonging treatment 5 4. Capacity and incapacity 5 5. Duty of care 6 6. Quality of life 8 7. Benefit 10 8. Harm 11 9. Best interests 12 10. Futility 14 11. Basic care 15 12. Artificial nutrition and hydration 15 13. Oral nutrition and hydration 17 14. Foresight and intention 18 15. Withholding or withdrawing treatment 19 16. Conscientious objection 20 17. Resource management 21 Part 3: Legal and ethical considerations that apply to all decisions to withhold or withdraw treatment 23 18. Human Rights Act 1998 23 19. Fairness and non-discrimination 28 20. Communication 31 21. Confidentiality 32 22. Legal review 34 Part 4: Medical considerations that apply to all decisions to withhold or withdraw treatment 36 23. Medical assessment 36 24. Medical decision making 39 Part 5: Decision making by adults with capacity 43 25. The law 43 26. Communication and information 47 Part 6: Decision making on behalf of adults who lack capacity 50 England and Wales 50 27. Patients with a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) 50 28. Patients with an advance decision about medical treatment 52 29. Patients without a Lasting Power of Attorney or advance decision 57 30. Patients in persistent vegetative state (pvs) 61 Scotland 62 31. Patients with a welfare power of attorney or welfare guardian 62 32. Patients with an advance decision about medical treatment 64 33. Patients without a welfare power of attorney or advance decision 67 34. Patients in persistent vegetative state (pvs) 68 Northern Ireland 69 35. Patients with an advance decision about medical treatment 69 36. Patients without an advance decision about medical treatment 69 37. Patients in persistent vegetative state (pvs) 71 All UK jurisdictions 72 38. Capacity and incapacity 72 39. Communication and information 73 40. Assessing best interests 77 41. Dealing with disagreement 80 Part 7: Decision making by young people with capacity 83 42. The law in England,Wales and Northern Ireland 83 43. The law in Scotland 88 44. Assessing capacity 91 45. Communicating with young people 92 46. Dealing with disagreement 95 Part 8: Decision making for children and young people who lack capacity 96 47. The law 96 48. Duties owed to babies and children 102 49. Communicating with parents 104 50. Assessing best interests 106 51. Dealing with disagreement 108 Part 9: Once a decision has been reached 109 52. Keeping others informed 109 53. Recording and reviewing the decision 109 54. Providing support 111 55. Respecting patients? wishes after death 113 Appendix 1 Useful addresses 114 References 118 Index 123

Reviews

Should become obligatory reading for any ethicist, politician or jurist who focuses on end-of-life decision making. Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy, 2008 The report bears three intriguing strengths: (1) The ethical argumentation is impressively clear, consistent and convincing... (2) The ethical argumentation is backed up by constant references to recent legal cases and decisions and to the latest legislation. (3) The structure of the book is highly transparent, the style is clearly written and easy to read, and throughout the whole book the reader is spoiled with precise summaries of the main arguments and theses. Due to these strengths, the BMA guidance paper not only provides a comprehensive overview of the legal position in Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland and advances the debate by clear ethical arguments in those areas that are not addressed by the present law. It also serves as a role model for other European countries which seem to fall far behind such an elaborated position paper and where doctors still muddle through the complexity of end-of-life decision-making in everyday clinical life... ... The BMA report should become an obligatory reading for any ethicist, politician or jurist who focuses on end-of-life decision making and serves as a helpful guidance for any doctor concerned with decisions about life-prolonging treatments in clinical life - Matthis Synofzik, Tubingen, Germany, Med Health Care and Philos (2007)

Should become obligatory reading for any ethicist, politician or jurist who focuses on end-of-life decision making. Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy, 2008 The report bears three intriguing strengths: (1) The ethical argumentation is impressively clear, consistent and convincing... (2) The ethical argumentation is backed up by constant references to recent legal cases and decisions and to the latest legislation. (3) The structure of the book is highly transparent, the style is clearly written and easy to read, and throughout the whole book the reader is spoiled with precise summaries of the main arguments and theses. Due to these strengths, the BMA guidance paper not only provides a comprehensive overview of the legal position in Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland and advances the debate by clear ethical arguments in those areas that are not addressed by the present law. It also serves as a role model for other European countries which seem to fall far behind such an elaborated position paper and where doctors still muddle through the complexity of end-of-life decision-making in everyday clinical life... ... The BMA report should become an obligatory reading for any ethicist, politician or jurist who focuses on end-of-life decision making and serves as a helpful guidance for any doctor concerned with decisions about life-prolonging treatments in clinical life - Matthis Synofzik, Tubingen, Germany, Med Health Care and Philos (2007)

Should become obligatory reading for any ethicist, politician or jurist who focuses on end-of-life decision making. Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy, 2008 The report bears three intriguing strengths: (1) The ethical argumentation is impressively clear, consistent and convincing... (2) The ethical argumentation is backed up by constant references to recent legal cases and decisions and to the latest legislation. (3) The structure of the book is highly transparent, the style is clearly written and easy to read, and throughout the whole book the reader is spoiled with precise summaries of the main arguments and theses. Due to these strengths, the BMA guidance paper not only provides a comprehensive overview of the legal position in Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland and advances the debate by clear ethical arguments in those areas that are not addressed by the present law. It also serves as a role model for other European countries which seem to fall far behind such an elaborated position paper and where doctors still muddle through the complexity of end-of-life decision-making in everyday clinical life... ... The BMA report should become an obligatory reading for any ethicist, politician or jurist who focuses on end-of-life decision making and serves as a helpful guidance for any doctor concerned with decisions about life-prolonging treatments in clinical life - Matthis Synofzik, Tubingen, Germany, Med Health Care and Philos (2007)

Author Information

This book is written and edited by members of the Medical Ethics Department of the British Medical Association with advice from the BMA's Medical Ethics Committee. The British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council.

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