Abstract
This article starts with a brief historical account of the ongoing debate about the status of clinical ethics: theory of practice. The author goes on to argue that clinical ethics is best understood as a practice. However, its practicality should not be measured by the extent to which clinical-ethical consultants manage to mediate or negotiate resolutions to ethical conflicts. Rather, clinical ethics is practical because it is characterized by a profound concern for the well-being of individual patients as well as the moral parameters of swift and urgent medical action in the face of limited supportive information.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 295-312 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 23 1998 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Issues, ethics and legal aspects