Ethics Consultation: A Practical Guide: A Practical Guide

La Puma and Schiedermayer distill their case experience of more than 700 individual consults--both one-on-one and in committee--into a step-by-step practical approach to resolving ethical dilemmas at the patient's side, or at least, with the clinicians and significant others. I learned a lot from this book--how to speak with patients in a caring way without creating or tapping into adversity; how to hold family meetings to gather information, not just achieve consensus; what to look for in medical records and how to write progress notes; and maybe most of all, what to do in the culture of the hospital and of medicine to work within it, to help achieve patient goals. They spend much of the book describing end of life dilemmas, but give detailed case reports and pictures (do you know any other ethics book with pictures?!) about some of their most difficult cases, from beginning to end. Informed consent, advance directives, conflicts of interest (lots of conflict of interest!), DNR orders, even transplantation...most of which is every day stuff for me.These guys are experts, and this guide is practical and amazing--well worth the money, and an excellent teaching manual. First rate.