Health Care & the Law, 5th Edition

Health Care & the Law is a highly regarded text for health care professionals and others associated with training and administration in this area. As with previous editions, this fifth edition explains the legal process as it relates to the decisions and actions required of those working in this area. In every situation, they have available to them a range of potential actions. Some of these actions are acceptable, while others are detrimental. This book provides the tools for dealing with the legal and ethical consequences of those actions, assisting them to form their own procedures for best practice.

This new edition reflects the rapid pace of change in the area of health law and therefore has been updated to include new material in respect of the courts’ consideration of the civil liability legislation as it applies to negligence; further developments in end-of-life decision-making, including recent major decisions; Fair Work Australia and the new national workplace relations tribunal; and the current treatment of public health law.

Health Care & the Law, 5th Edition is structured around five Parts, each dealing with an essential aspect of the law. Each Part also includes abstracts, summarised case law, procedural checklists and guidelines, which are all designed to enhance the reader’s knowledge of the subject matter under consideration.

• Part 1 outlines general legal theory.
• Part 2 discusses patient relationships, including negligence, access to patient information and consent to care.
• Part 3 reviews employment contracts, registration and injuries in the workplace.
• Part 4 outlines the regulatory requirements for health care professionals, including the reporting of State requirements, drug control and coronial inquiries.
• Part 5 discusses public health law, ethics and current legal issues, including human tissue transplants, reproductive technology and the expanding recognition of human rights.

This illuminating, easy-to-read text is an essential resource not only for health care professionals, but also for teachers and lecturers, students, practitioners and administrators.