Health Care Ethics, Revised Edition

Theological Foundations, Contemporary Issues, and Controversial Cases

Course instructors considering a book for adoption will be provided a complimentary copy.
$40.95
Digital Books

“The new edition of the Healthcare Ethics book allows me to do less lecturing in science and public policy. The students told me at midterm that I should keep the book. They like how accessibly it is written, enjoy how the case studies make them think, and are learning without ‘feeling stupid.’”

Kathy Lilla Cox, PhD
College of St. Benedict

““[This] introduction to health care ethics provides a solid basic text in the field and is particularly helpful in integrating a religious perspective into bioethics in a way that invites deeper dialogue. It is very readable, but does not sacrifice intellectual depth in being accessible.””

Dr. David A. Bard
College of St. Scholastica

““  .  .  .  excellent for my bioethics course. Among the features I appreciate is the authors’’ robust introduction to the purpose and methods of ethics (the first four chapters) while keeping the material connected to medical ethics.  .  .  .  The authors write very accessibly. The presentation is grounded in Catholic moral thought and puts the best of the Catholic tradition forward while also airing criticisms subtly and constructively. The case studies are effective and the several charts and graphics work well.”

Dr. Brian Stiltner
Associate Professor of Religious Studies
Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CN

“The only bioethics book I’ve seen that is both suitable for undergraduates and that employs basic ethical terms (teleology, deontology, etc.) that mesh well with the understandings I use in lectures. There are LOTS of case studies and scenarios, offered in language that challenges undergraduates but not excessively. The cases are realistic, current, and well-described.  .  .  .  The book proceeds at an excellent pace for a course that covers medical ethics and moral theology. My students appreciate its language, tone, and detail.”

Nancy M. Rourke
Assistant Professor
Department of Religious Studies and Theology
Canisius College

“Michael Panicola and his colleagues have given students a good foundation for ethical choices in health care. The book deepens and broadens the concept of ethics beyond laws and regulations. It presents a thoughtful and accessible explanation of major approaches to ethical thinking. And, before treating specific issues and methods, it provides the depth of discernment to the decision-making process.”

Mary Kaye Nealen, SP, PhD
University of Great Falls (MT)

“I used the first edition of An Introduction to Health Care Ethics with undergraduates multiple times, and students loved the book. The second edition is updated with valuable new information and remains just as clear, careful, and compassionate. The focus on human dignity, human flourishing, and justice provides a normative basis. Principles and criteria for various issues help students to develop their own capacity for moral discernment.  .  .  .  The book invites critical thinking by offering consideration of various perspectives.”

Marie J. Giblin, PhD
Xavier University, Cincinnati

About This Book

Overview

Introduces students to health care ethics through examination of real-life issues

In their thought-provoking and insightful revised introductory ethics text, authors Michael Panicola, David Belde, John Slosar, and Mark Repenshek address complex and controversial health care issues that are very much a part of our everyday lives. Using a normative framework, the authors incorporate specific issues, case studies, and multimedia aides in each chapter to encourage students to engage in moral discourse and reflection. The authors’ stimulating faith-based discussion of how particular circumstances in society have an impact on ethical decision making is a significant contribution to our understanding of the complex relationship between health care issues and ethics.

Linking new material, including chapters on the patient-physician relationship, regenerative medicine, the pharmaceutical/device industry, and health care reform, to classic chapters on reproductive technology, abortion and maternal-fetal care, stem cell research, genomic technologies, and end-of-life care, the authors underscore the important real-life concerns and issues that confront people in their daily living and the need to discern these concerns and issues with the goal of attaining human and social flourishing.

Key additions to the revised text include a glossary; updated facts, figures, tables, and statistics; new case studies; chapter discussion questions, including social-ethics questions; and social analysis.

Details

Weight 1.05 lbs
Dimensions 5.375 × 1.5 × 8.25 in
Format

Softcover

Print ISBN

978-1-59982-103-0

Pages

452

Item # 7034

Customer Reviews

“The new edition of the Healthcare Ethics book allows me to do less lecturing in science and public policy. The students told me at midterm that I should keep the book. They like how accessibly it is written, enjoy how the case studies make them think, and are learning without ‘feeling stupid.’”

Kathy Lilla Cox, PhD
College of St. Benedict

““[This] introduction to health care ethics provides a solid basic text in the field and is particularly helpful in integrating a religious perspective into bioethics in a way that invites deeper dialogue. It is very readable, but does not sacrifice intellectual depth in being accessible.””

Dr. David A. Bard
College of St. Scholastica

““I found this book to be excellent for my bioethics course. Among the features I appreciate is the authors’’ robust introduction to the purpose and methods of ethics (the first four chapters) while keeping the material connected to medical ethics. The exercises in these chapters are effective for helping students appropriate the ideas. The authors write very accessibly. The presentation is grounded in Catholic moral thought and puts the best of the Catholic tradition forward while also airing criticisms subtly and constructively. The case studies are effective and the several charts and graphics work well.”

Dr. Brian Stiltner
Associate Professor of Religious Studies
Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CN

“This is the only bioethics book I’ve seen that is both suitable for undergraduates and that employs basic ethical terms (teleology, deontology, etc.) that mesh well with the understandings I use in lectures. There are LOTS of case studies and scenarios, offered in language that challenges undergraduates but not excessively. The cases are realistic, current, and well-described; students often can recognize similar medical situations from their lives or from the news. The book proceeds at an excellent pace for a course that covers medical ethics and moral theology. My students appreciate its language, tone, and detail. I will continue to use it!”

Nancy M. Rourke
Assistant Professor
Department of Religious Studies and Theology
Canisius College

“Michael Panicola and his colleagues have given students a good foundation for ethical choices in health care. The book deepens and broadens the concept of ethics beyond laws and regulations. It presents a thoughtful and accessible explanation of major approaches to ethical thinking. And, before treating specific issues and methods, it provides the depth of discernment to the decision-making process.”

Mary Kaye Nealen, SP, PhD
University of Great Falls (MT)

“I used the first edition of An Introduction to Health Care Ethics with undergraduates multiple times, and students loved the book. The second edition is updated with valuable new information and remains just as clear, careful, and compassionate. The focus on human dignity, human flourishing, and justice provides a normative basis. Principles and criteria for various issues help students to develop their own capacity for moral discernment. Each chapter stimulates discussion with intriguing cases. The book invites critical thinking by offering consideration of various perspectives. The new chapter on health care reform opens up important macro-issues, competing understandings of justice, and the need for reform. This excellent text is recommended for anyone who realizes that sooner or later they will need to be engaged in the serious and loving work of health care decision making.”

Marie J. Giblin, PhD
Xavier University, Cincinnati

About the Authors

Michael R. Panicola

Michael R. Panicola, PhD (Saint Louis University), is corporate vice president of ethics for SSM Health Care in Saint Louis, MO.

David M. Belde

David M. Belde, PhD (Saint Louis University), is administrative director of ethics and mission for Bon Secours Richmond Health System in Richmond, VA.

John Paul Slosar

John Paul Slosar, PhD (Saint Louis University), is director of ethics for Ascension Health in Saint Louis, MO.

Mark F. Repenshek

Mark F. Repenshek, PhD (Saint Louis University), is a health care ethicist for Columbia Saint Mary’s Hospitals in Milwaukee, WI.

Table of Contents

Preface

  1. Understanding Ethics and How We
    Approach Ethical Decisions

    Understanding Ethics Generally
    Understanding Health Care Ethics
    How We Approach Ethical Decisions
    Conclusion

     

  2. The Bases for Our Decisions and the Role
    of Discernment

    A Proposed Normative Basis
    The Role of Discernment
    Conclusion

     

  3. Professionalism and the
    Patient–Physician Relationship

    What Does Professionalism Mean?
    Aspects of Physician Professionalism
    Conclusion

     

  4. Abortion and Maternal-Fetal Care
    Difficult Questions
    Setting the Context: Clinical, Social, and Legal Considerations
    Types of Abortion Procedures
    The Social and Legal Status of Abortion in the United States
    The Intersection of Law, Public Policy, Ethics, and Abortion
    Discussion: Ethical Issues and Analysis
    Conclusion

     

  5. Care of Critically Ill Newborns
    Fateful Decisions in the Neonatal Context
    Setting the Context: The Evolution of Neonatal Medicine
    Discussion: Ethical Issues and Analysis
    Conclusion

     

  6. Reproductive Technology and the Quest for Offspring
    Ethics at the Intersection of Technology and Procreation
    Setting the Context: The Science of Reproductive Technologies
    Discussion: Ethical Issues and Analysis
    Case Studies in Assisted Reproduction
    Beyond Assisted Reproduction: Ethics and Prenatal Testing

     

  7. Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Human Cloning, and Regenerative Medicine
    What Cost a Cure?
    Setting the Context: The Science and Politics of Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning
    The Science of Human Cloning
    U.S. Public Policy, Human Cloning, and Stem Cell Research
    Discussion: Ethical Issues and Analysis
    Conclusion

     

  8. Current and Future Applications of Genomic Technologies
    “Quest for Humanity’s Blueprint”: Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications
    Setting the Context: The Science of Genes and Genomics
    A Cautionary Tale: The Slippery Slope to Eugenics
    Discussion: Ethical Issues and Analysis
    Beyond Testing: Gene Therapy and Genetic Enhancement
    Conclusion

     

  9. Medical Research on Humans and the Pharmaceutical/Device Industry
    Balancing Scientific Inquiry and Human Dignity
    Setting the Context: Basic Concepts and Definitions in Research on Human Beings
    Individual versus Social Good
    Discussion: Ethical Issues and Analysis
    Human Research: The Protocol
    Conflict of Interests
    Conclusion

     

  10. Forgoing Treatment at the End of Life
    An Ethically Complex Issue
    Setting the Context: Framework for Decisions to Forego Treatment
    Discussion: Ethical Issues and Analysis
    Conclusion

     

  11. Rethinking End-of-Life Care
    Introduction
    Setting the Context: Health Care at the End of Life
    Discussion: Ethical Issues and Analysis
    Conclusion

     

  12. Health Care Reform
    Health Care Reform and Human Well-Being
    Setting the Context: Why Health Care Reform is Vital
    Discussion: Ethical Issues and Analysis
    Three Assumptions That Can Guide Health Care Reform
    Conditions Creating the Need for Health Care Reform
    Seeking Excellence in Health Care: New Rules for the Twenty-First Century Health System
    Conclusion

Glossary
Index

Professional Reviews

“”An excellent and comprehensive introductory volume on this topic, covering a variety of issues including professionalism in the patient-physician relationship, abortion, care of critically ill newborns, reproductive technology, embryonic stem cell research, genomic technologies, treatment at the end of life, and health care reform. There is a particularly useful introductory chapter about understanding ethics and approaches to ethical decisions. The authors provide a framework where ethics sits between being and doing, in other words who we ought to become as a person and how we ought to act in relation to others. This involves goals, virtues, principles and circumstances. Among the requirements for ethics are freedom and knowledge, reasoning and discernment, and a normative basis on which to judge the issues. This framework is then applied to health care ethics at three levels: macro health policy issues, middle organizational issues and micro clinical issues. Different types of ethical theories are also explained—virtue theories, deontological theories relating to action, and consequentialist theories. The discussions are very well illustrated with a variety of case histories.””

The Scientific and Medical Network

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