Clinical Bioethics and Health Policy

Catalog description

An examination of the leading issues in bioethics, especially those that arise in the context of clinical decision-making and the doctor-patient encounter. The focus will be on the ethical dilemmas faced by medical providers, patients, and their families: how issues are analyzed, what values are considered, and how disputes are resolved. Topics will include end-of-life care; withdrawal or refusal of life-sustaining treatment; pediatric ethics; transplantation; and rationing of scarce drugs or resources. The course will use real case examples to illustrate these dilemmas and challenges. Consent of instructor is required for undergraduates.