Medical Law and Ethics, 6th edition

Published by Pearson (September 12, 2019) © 2020

  • Bonnie F. Fremgen University of Notre Dame

Title overview

For courses in medical law or ethics.

A plain-language guide to the law and ethics of healthcare

Medical Law and Ethics examines the essentials of the legal and ethical demands of healthcare professions. Clear and readable, it helps students identify the ethical norms they will need to adhere to in their chosen field. Real legal cases and stimulating exercises challenge learners to envision their responses to today's most complex legal and ethical dilemmas in healthcare.

The 6th Edition covers issues of increasing concern in hospitals and medical offices, including the opioid crisis in the US, electronic recordkeeping, personal health records, and the needs of elderly, visually impaired, and hearing-impaired populations.

Hallmark features of this title

Real-world applications

  • Legal case citations demonstrate how healthcare disciplines collaborate in patient care, while illuminating medical topics subject to US legal requirements.
  • Case studies at the start of each chapter demonstrate practical applications of chapter content.
  • Discussion cases in each chapter are great as assignments or to generate in-class debate.

Thinking critically about law and ethics

  • Put It into Practice activities at the end of each chapter prompt learners to contemplate everyday legal and ethical issues.
  • Points to Ponder questions help students evaluate how they might deal with today's legal and ethical dilemmas in healthcare.
  • Short-answer, matching and multiple-choice exercises let students test their comprehension of chapter content.

New and updated features of this title

Timely issues in hospitals and medical offices

  • NEW: The opioid crisis in the US is now discussed (Ch. 7), tackling a critical topic in healthcare.
  • NEW: A new discussion of electronic health records has been added (Ch. 9), acknowledging the ever-growing reliance on electronic recordkeeping in hospitals and medical offices.
  • NEW: Coverage of personal health records has been added (Ch. 9) to explore the benefits of patients maintaining and sharing their own electronic medical records.

Insight into the needs of special populations

  • NEW: A new section on the American Deaf culture (Ch. 14) considers the needs of the hearing-impaired populations, as well as related historical, legal, and social awareness issues.
  • NEW: A new section on blindness and visual impairment (Ch. 14) discusses the needs of and ways of working with visually impaired individuals, as well as related legal and social awareness issues.
  • NEW: A new section on life issues of the elderly (Ch. 14) addresses prolonged life expectancy, as well as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other illnesses primarily affecting the elderly.

Table of contents

  1. Introduction to Medical Law, Ethics, and Bioethics

PART 1: THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT

  1. The Legal System
  2. Essentials of the Legal System for Health Care Professionals
  3. Working in Today's Health Care Market

PART 2: THE HEALTH CARE ENVIRONMENT

  1. The Physician—Patient Relationship
  2. Professional Liability and Medical Malpractice
  3. Public Duties of the Health Care Professional
  4. Workplace Law and Ethics
  5. The Medical Record
  6. Patient Confidentiality and HIPAA

PART 3: MEDICAL ETHICS

  1. Ethical and Bioethical Issues in Medicine
  2. Ethical Issues Relating to Life
  3. Death and Dying
  4. Trends in Health Care

Appendices

  1. Codes of Ethics
  2. Case Citations

Author bios

About our author

Bonnie F. Fremgen, PhD, is a former associate dean of the Allied Health Program of Robert Morris College in Chicago and was vice president of a hospital in suburban Chicago. She has taught medical law and ethics courses, as well as clinical and administrative topics, and she has broad interests and experiences in the healthcare field, including hospitals, nursing homes and physicians' offices. Dr. Fremgen has also served as director of continuing medical education at three Chicago area hospitals. She has two patents on a unique circulation-assisting wheelchair.

Dr. Fremgen holds a nursing degree as well as a master's degree in healthcare administration. She received her PhD from the College of Education at the University of Illinois and has performed postdoctoral studies in medical law at Loyola University Law School in Chicago. Dr. Fremgen has taught ethics at the University of Detroit in Michigan; University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, where she also served as co-director of the Center for Ethics in the Mendoza College of Business; and Saint Xavier University in Chicago, where she also served as interim dean of the Graham School of Business.

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