Good Medicine: The Art of Ethical Care in Canada

Award-winning physician Philip C. Hébert creates a brave and intimate portrait of the complex ethical imperatives at the heart of good medicine: doctors do not have all the answers; patients must be heard; and their needs, desires, fears, and experiences must be reflected in how practitioners look after them.

Medical science continues to advance to previously unimagined heights in its diagnostic and treatment capabilities. With these advances, however, come unexpected ethical dilemmas for practitioners, patients, and families. In Good Medicine, Dr. Hébert approaches these questions of pressing and fundamental importance from the dual point of view of acclaimed physician and long-time patient. With remarkable balance and sensitivity, he explores a range of politically, constitutionally, and ethically contentious matters, including assisted suicide, treatment refusal and suspension, and the overall allocation of medical resources. Hébert pairs his artful analysis with the real-life, often deeply moving stories of those who have lived these challenges. Hébert offers piercing and compassionate insight into the relationship between patients and medical professionals, and guides readers towards the open and empathetic communication needed to ensure good medicine for everyone.