Medicine, Law & ethics

Question 1

What are the privileges of the medical profession?

Answer 1

1) Right to recover fees
2) Rights in respect of possession and prescription of certain drugs
3) Right to sign certain certificates
4) Right to be appointed as medical practitioner in NHS or armed forces
5) Some restricted titles

Question 2

What is the doctorine of dual effect?

Answer 2

If you administer a drug to relieve pain in doses that you know may be fatal, then providing your intention is not to shorten life but to relive pain, the administration is not considered unlawful

Note: Normally this would be illegal

Question 3

What are the four principles of the non-theistic ethical framework?

Answer 3

1) Autonomy
2) Beneficence
3) Non-maleficence
4) Justice

Question 4

What is autonomy?

Answer 4

That you should treat others as ends in themselves and not merely as means to an end

Question 5

What is beneficence?

Answer 5

Doing the right thing for patients

Question 6

What is non-maleficence?

Answer 6

Not doing the wrong thing to patients

Question 7

What does justice mean?

Answer 7

The moral obligation to act on the basis of fair justification between competing claims

Question 8

What is medical ethics in summary?

Answer 8

A pro-active respect for the autonomy of others

Question 9

What is Gillick’s competency?

Answer 9

Where the legal right to make a decision concerning a child passes from the parent to the child when the child reaches sufficient maturity to be capable of making up his or her own mind on the matter and they fully understand