Ethics Consultation: From Theory to Practice(Bioethics)

In the clinical setting, questions of medical ethics raise a host of perplexing problems, often complicated by conflicting perspectives and the need to make immediate decisions. In this volume, bioethicists and physicians provide a nuanced, in-depth approach to the difficult issues involved in bioethics consultation. Addressing the needs of researchers, clinicians, and other health professionals on the front lines of bioethics practice, the contributors focus primarily on practical concerns - whether ethics consultation is best done by individuals, teams, or committees; how an ethics consult service should be structured; the need for institutional support; and techniques and programmes for educating and training staff - without neglecting more theoretical considerations, such as the importance of character or the viability of organizational ethics.

Table of Contents:
Contents:List of ContributorsPrefaceI. Foundation and Theoretical Questions 1. Meeting the Need: Ethics Consultation in Health Care Today Mark P. Aulisio2. Can Ethics Consultation Be Saved? Ethics Consultation and Moral Consensus in a Democratic Society Jonathan Moreno3. Character and Ethics Consultation: Even Ethicists Don't Agree Franciose Baylis, Howard Brody, Mark P. Aulisio, Dan W. Brock, and William WinsladeII. Practical Questions 4. Innovative Educational Programs: A Necessary First Step Toward Improving Quality in Ethics Consultation Jacqueline J. Glover and William Nelson5. Techniques for Training Ethics Consultants: Why Traditional Classroom Methods Aren't Enough Robert M. Arnold and Melanie H. Wilson Silver6. Models for Ethics Consultation: Individual, Team, or Committee? Cynda Rushton, Stuart J. Youngner, and Joy Skeel7. The Structure and Process fo Ethics Consultation Services John C. Fletcher and Kathryn L. Moseley8. Institutional Support for Bioethics Committees Steven Miles and Ruth B. PurtiloIII. Questions on the Horizon 9. Organizational Ethics: Promises and Pitfalls Paul M. Schyve, Linda L. Emanuel, William Winslade, and Stuart J. Youngner10. The Licensing and Certification of Ethics Consultants: What Part of "No" Was So Hard to Understand? Charles BoskAppendix. Core Competencies for Health Care Ethics Consultation: The Report of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Index

About the Author :
Mark P. Aulisio, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Bioethics and Director of the Clinical Ethics Program at MetroHealth Medical Center at Case Western Reserve University. Robert M. Arnold, M.D., is Professor and Leo H. Criep Chair in Patient Care in the Department of Medicine of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Associate Director for Education at the Center for Bioethics and Health Law, and Chief of the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics.Stuart J. Youngner, M.D., is Chairman of the Department of Bioethics and Susan B. Watson Professor of Bioethics, and Professor of Psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Review :
The observations recorded here deserve close study by anyone who contemplates setting up a referral system for medical staff facing ethical dilemmas. -- Peter D. Toon Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Excellent basic and practical introduction to the many issues facing the development of clinical ethics consultation. Bulletin of Medical Ethics The writers explore theoretical and practical realities of the ethics consultation process, key participants and their character, and theoretical foundations of ethics and values that contribute to ethical decision making in clinical care. Choice A nuanced, in depth approach to the difficult issues involved in bioethics consultations. Human Reproduction and Genetic Ethics Essential reading for anyone interested in ethics and consultation. It provides in-depth analysis of key issues by leading figures in the field, and represents a comprehensive discussion raised by the ASBH Task Force... A complete, self-contained work that should be extremely valuable both for classroom use, and for ethicists and hospitals conducting ethics consultation. Doody's Book Review Service I recommend this book highly both for its practical value and for its reflective discussion on the nuances of clinical ethics. -- R. Henry Williams, MD Ethics and Medicine