Offering a compendium of case studies in bioethics, Choosing Well demonstrates real ethical dilemmas that can occur in health care settings. Instructors can draw upon the scenarios in this concise and highly effective resource to encourage analysis, critique, discussion, and debate of hot-button ethical issues.
The authors present a diverse selection of complex case studies in bioethics to stimulate in-depth analysis on topics ranging from distributive justice, research ethics, reproductive technologies, abortion, and death and dying, to the health care professional–patient relationship and ethics in the workplace. The text also features case studies that move through time to reflect real-life decision making and cases that present multiple perspectives to illustrate the challenges that can arise from disputes in health care settings. Utilizing the DECIDED strategy for analyzing case studies, instructors can guide students through the steps needed to work through a wide variety of ethical dilemmas and encourage reflection on their own ethical assumptions.
Accessible, practical, and highly engaging, Choosing Well offers a helpful and interesting way to explore central issues in contemporary bioethics, making it an indispensable resource for instructors and students of bioethics, biomedical ethics, and health care ethics.
FEATURES
includes a brief introduction to ethics, the role of case studies, and some of the most important bioethical principles, as well as a glossary of key terms
features Canadian-focused content and themes reflecting the challenges of modern health care settings
provides a framework for case study analysis, along with sample analyses of three full case studies using the DECIDED approach
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Ethics, Case Studies, and Bioethical Principles
Chapter 2: The DECIDED Strategy for Working Through Case Studies in Bioethics
Chapter 3: Case Studies on Ethics in the Workplace
Chapter 4: Case Studies on Distributive Justice
Chapter 5: Case Studies on the Health Care Professional–Patient Relationship
Chapter 6: Case Studies on Research Ethics
Chapter 7: Case Studies on Reproductive Technologies
Chapter 8: Case Studies on the Genetic Revolution
Chapter 9: Case Studies on Abortion and Maternal–Fetal Conflicts
Chapter 10: Case Studies on Death and Dying
Chapter 11: Case Studies on Organs and Tissues: Procurement and Transplantation
Chapter 12: Case Studies on Medical Paradigms and Non-Standard Treatment
Chapter 13: Case Studies That Move Through Time
Chapter 14: Case Studies Told from Multiple Perspectives
Appendix A: Alternative Case Study Guidelines
Appendix B: The Role of Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, and the Law in Bioethics
Appendix C: Two Case Studies Analyzed Using the DECIDED Strategy
Glossary
Biography
Rachel Haliburton recently retired from the Department of Philosophy at rthe University of Sudbury.
Rebecca Vendetti is a chaplain at St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School in Oakville and recently received a PhD in Religious Studies from McMaster University.
“This volume is an extremely welcome addition to the resources of the field. What is especially important for those of us teaching bioethics in Canada is that the case studies in this volume are geared toward the Canadian context, something that is even rarer still in the field.”
—Adam Scarfe, Department of Philosophy, University of Winnipeg
“Choosing Well offers case studies in multiple formats on a wide range of topics…. Cases are up-to-date and reflect the Canadian context while retaining their relevance for other settings. Early chapters provide a concise introduction to the role of ethics and case studies in health care and the principles and values common to health care practice. The DECIDED strategy for working through case studies in bioethics teaches a valuable life skill.”
—Carolyn Ells, Biomedical Ethics Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University
“This resource is immensely helpful for introducing students to the field of bioethics. Each case study shows the complexity of real-world situations and allows students to explore the importance of ethics in the area of health and health research.”
—Elena Neiterman, School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo
