Medicine, Patients and the Law

With the growing awareness of patients of their rights, the issue of medical ethics and its relationship with the law is much in debate. This book should make clear the obligations, constraints and legal relationships. It details complaints procedures and medical negligence actions, discuss the issue of confidentiality and so on. Updated to cover ethical dilemmas raised by medical developments, this edition explains the legal position in fields as diverse as embryo research, Aids testing and the definition of death and covers the impact of recent cases, notably the Shipman trial.