Ethical Dimensions in the Health Professions, 5e

Ideal for all health care professionals, Ethical Dimensions in the Health Professions, 5th Edition provides a solid foundation in basic ethical theory, the terms and concepts of ethics, and current ethical issues. Expert authors Ruth Purtilo and Regina Doherty outline a unique 6-step decision-making process as a guide to making effective choices that lead to a professional and caring response to patients. They also suggest practical approaches to commonly encountered clinical issues such as confidentiality, informed consent, information sharing, and end-of-life care. With this book, you will develop the skills you need to recognize, understand, and resolve ethical problems.

• Unique! 6-step process of ethical decision-making provides an organizing framework for the steps to take in arriving at an ethical decision.


• Step 1: Gather relevant information
• Step 2: Identify the type of ethical problem
• Step 3: Analyze the problem using ethics theories or approaches
• Step 4: Explore the practical alternatives
• Step 5: Act
• Step 6: Evaluate the process and outcome
• Patient stories begin each chapter with an ethical dilemma and frame the rest of the chapter, tying abstract principles to real-life situations and demonstrating the ethical decision-making process for each story.
• Content on end-of-life care shows how to develop a caring response toward dying patients and identifies basic ethical concepts applying to patients with life-threatening conditions.
• Unique! More than 100 Reflection boxes indicate important concepts and include space to jot down thoughts.
• HIPAA and patient confidentiality information covers current laws and addresses what types of information are appropriate and inappropriate to include in the patient's medical record.
• Questions for thought and discussion help you apply the ethical decision-making process to different situations.
• Unique! Over 80 summary boxes offer a quick review of the important information in each section.

• Unique! New coverage of biotechnology addresses the professional's role relating to environmental responsibility and the ecological costs of various health care interventions.
• Unique! New content on the intersection of technology and ethics describes the impact of advances in medical technology in rehabilitative care, and helps you face difficult conversations where you must offer hope while presenting realistic outcomes.
• Unique! New content on terrorism and disaster planning describes the ethical dilemmas professionals face in preventing terrorism and planning for disasters.
• New topics on the ethical decision-making process include the concepts of care, distinguishing ethical reasoning as a distinct part of your clinical reasoning and professional judgment, and attention to caregivers.
• New coauthor Regina Doherty, an occupational therapist, adds expertise and an OT perspective.