ABC of Medical Law

An understanding of medical law is increasingly important for all health professionals and this new ABC provides a basic introduction to the legal issues faced in health care that is accessible to anyone without any legal knowledge. The ABC of Medical Law provides ideal guidance to the practicing physician - covering just what you need to know without becoming embroiled in complicated legal discussion.

The ABC of Medical Law has up-to-date coverage of the legal issues to be found in daily medical practice, including confidentiality, research, consent, negligence, organ donation and human rights, as well as more contentious issues such as tissue retention and withholding/withdrawing treatment. Well illustrated and presented in a user-friendly format, chapters include summaries and cases to help clarify the points made.

Written by practising clinicians with expertise in medical law and a medical barrister, the ABC of Medical Law will help keep a practice within the constraints of the law and is ideal for GPs, junior doctors and medical students, and anyone wanting to understand the broad basics of medical law.

This title is also available as a mobile App from MedHand Mobile Libraries. Buy it now from Google Play or the MedHand Store.

Preface vii

1 Introduction to the Legal System 1
Ingrid Granne Lorraine Corfield

2 Consent in Adults 6
Lorraine Corfield Ingrid Granne

3 Consent in Children 12
Ingrid Granne Lorraine Corfield

4 Refusal of Medical Treatment 15
Lorraine Corfield Ingrid Granne

5 Negligence: The Duty of Care 18
Ingrid Granne Lorraine Corfield

6 Negligence: The Legal Standard of Care 22
Ingrid Granne Lorraine Corfield

7 Negligence: Causation 26
Ingrid Granne Lorraine Corfield

8 Confidentiality 29
Lorraine Corfield Ingrid Granne

9 Withholding andWithdrawing Life-Sustaining Treatment 34
Lorraine Corfield Ingrid Granne

10 Research 38
Lorraine Corfield Ruth Wilkinson Ingrid Granne

11 Organ Transplantation Organ Retention and Post-Mortem Examinations 44
Ruth Wilkinson Lorraine Corfield Ingrid Granne

12 The Healthcare Professional and the Human Rights Act 50
Ingrid Granne Lorraine Corfield

Index 53

"... starting with an excellent overview of the legal system, going on to cover many of the areas you would expect, including: consent; refusal of treatment; negligence; confidentiality; and withholding and withdrawing treatment. It does this well..." The Psychiatrist, August 2010 Lorraine Corfield, Ingrid Granne and William Latimer-Sayer