OSHER 512 - Medical Ethics in Court, Media, and at the Bedside

Using recent and contemporary media reports of controversial clinical cases and medical practices, we will identify and explore current and emerging ethical problems. Participants will propose and evaluate solutions based on personal experience, cultural or professional perspectives, and content knowledge. Issues likely to emerge are the evolving doctor-patient relationship, the way doctors deal with medical errors, how informed consent is changing, what constitutes conflict for physicians, what is a just healthcare system, and what decisions are possible at the end of life and how patients and families make them. Students who have taken this class in the past are welcome to return, as we will discuss new cases.