Clinical ethics
Ongoing developments in medical technology, particularly
at the beginning and end of life and in genetics, have been
important in raising awareness of clinical ethics issues.
In addition, there have been changing social and public attitudes
towards the professions, including medicine and a growing
emphasis on patient choice. Occasionally, health professionals
and patients may disagree about values, or face choices that
challenge their values. It is then that ethical problems arise.
Clinical ethics is a practical discipline that provides a
structured approach to assist health professionals in identifying,
analysing and resolving ethical issues in clinical medicine.
The overall aim of the Clinical Ethics Strategy is to ensure
that clinical ethics issues are identified at an early stage,
appropriate ethical considerations are implemented, and that
clinical ethics issues are dealt with in an accountable and
transparent fashion that benefits patients, clinicians, the
public health system and the community.
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