Health Care & the Law 6th edition

Health Care & the Law, now in its sixth edition, provides a detailed and clear examination of legal processes as they relate to health care professionals throughout Australia, with coverage of all Australian jurisdictions.

This sixth edition has been restructured to make it more accessible to the reader and it has also been updated to reflect the rapid pace of change in law as it relates to health care. The seven parts of the text focus on:

•         the law, courts and legal processes

•         patients’ treatment and consent

•         medical liability

•         patient information and property

•         the health professional

•         public health

•         crime, discrimination and rights

and it contains new material in separate chapters addressing:

•         disciplinary processes and mandatory reporting

•         open disclosure

•         genetic testing and treatments

With detailed tables of contents, summarised case law, procedural checklists and guidelines, this illuminating, easy-to-read text is an essential resource for health care professionals, teachers and lecturers, students, practitioners and health administrators.

PART I: THE LAW, COURTS AND LEGAL PROCESSES

1 What is Law?

2 Courts and Jurisdiction  

3 Legal Processes and Evidence

4 Coronial Processes

PART II: PATIENTS' TREATMENT AND CONSENT

5 Consent to Health Care by an Adult  

6 Consent to Health Care by a Minor

7 Incompetent Persons, Guardianship and Mental Health Law

8 Special Medical Treatments

9 End-of-Life Decisions and Withdrawal of Treatment  

PART III: MEDICAL LIABILITY

10 Negligence  

11 Informed Consent

PART IV: PATIENT INFORMATION AND PROPERTY

12 Patient Records and Incident Reports  

13 Patient Privacy and the Duty of Confidentiality

14 Patients' Property and Commercial Relationships

PART V: THE HEALTH PROFESSIONAL

15 Employment and Contracts for Health Professionals  

16 Registration of Health Professionals

17 Disciplinary Processes  

18 Mandatory Notifications

19 Open Disclosure  

20 Decision-Making by the Health Professional  

PART VI: PUBLIC HEALTH

21 Medicines

22 Registration of Birth and Notification of Death

23 Notifiable Diseases

24 Blood Transfusion and Transplants  

25 Genetic Testing and Treatments  

26 Reproduction, Surrogacy and Termination

PART VII: CRIME, DISCRIMINATION AND RIGHTS  

27 Crime and Health Care

28 Child Abuse and Domestic Violence

29 Discrimination  

30 Health Care Rights

Appendix 1: A Guide to Abbreviations Used in Law Report Citations

Appendix 2: The Australian Privacy Principles

Appendix 3: Good Medical Practice: A Code of Conduct for Doctors in Australia

Appendix 4: Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia