Includes bibliographical references and index.

Machine generated contents note: Part I. Ethics in Health Care: Role, History, and Methods: 1. The role of ethics in health care; 2. A brief history of health care ethics and clinical ethics consultation in the United States; 3. Methods of health care ethics; 4. Law and ethics in health care; 5. Culture and ethics in health care; Part II. Moral Foundations of the Therapeutic Relationship: 6. Privacy and confidentiality; 7. Truthfulness; 8. Informed consent to treatment; 9. Surrogate decision-making; 10. Professionalism: responsibilities and privileges; 11. Resource stewardship; Part III. Controversies in Health Care Ethics: Treatment Choices at the Beginning and at the End of Life: 12. Assisted reproductive technologies; 13. Abortion; 14. Maternal-fetal conflict; 15. Advance care planning and advance directives; 16. Moral conflicts in end-of-life care; 17. Medical futility; 18. Aid in dying; Part IV. Ethics in Special Contexts: Biomedical Research, Genetics, and Organ Transplantation: 19. Research on human subjects; 20. The genetic revolution; 21. Organ transplantation.

"This book provides a concise introduction to the major concepts, principles, and issues in health care ethics, using case studies throughout to illustrate and analyse challenging ethical issues in contemporary health care. Topics range widely, from confidentiality and truthfulness to end-of-life care and research on human subjects. Ethics and Health Care will be a vital resource for students of applied ethics, bioethics, professional ethics, health law, and medical sociology, as well as students of medicine, nursing, and other health care professions"--Provided by publisher.