Unit information: C6 Medicine, Law and Ethics in 2012/13

Unit name	C6 Medicine, Law and Ethics
Unit code	MEDIM3006
Credit points	15
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Professor. Forbes
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Health Sciences Faculty Office
Faculty	Faculty of Health Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

This module will be run over two and a half days of seminars with a follow up day approximately six months later. Reading and essay work will cover the following issues: (i) care and comfort, (ii) consent and communication, (iii) life and death, (iv) autonomy, power and responsibility, (v) health needs and entitlements and (vi) rationing resources.

Aims:

The aim of this module is to encourage critical reflection on the ethical dilemmas that arise in the practice of palliative care, to place these in the context of good communication with the patient and family and to consider practical responses to these dilemmas with reference to philosophy and the law.

Intended Learning Outcomes

After this module students will be able to:

• define the principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice

• discuss ethical issues at the end of life, such as the sanctity of life, the right to life, killing and letting die, advance decisions and medical decisions at the end of life

• recognise issues of power and responsibility within the doctor-patient relationship, such as truth-telling, concealment and confidentiality

• discuss health, health needs, entitlements, rationing, justice, equality and fairness

Teaching Information

Two and a half study days

Lectures Tutorials Discussion groups around students’ case histories/scenarios

Assessment Information

Formative feedback during discussion groups

Reflective writing around critical incidents (in combination with Communication Skills)

Reading and References

Jeffrey D. There is nothing more I can do. An introduction to ethics in palliative care. Penzance: Patten Press, 1993.

Fisher F. Medical Ethics Today: its practice and philosophy. London: BMA publications, 1993

Beecham TL, Childress F. Principles of biomedical ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994