It is broadly held that confidentiality may be breached when doing so can avert grave harm to a third party. This essay challenges the conventional wisdom. Neither legal duties, personal morality nor personal values are sufficient to ground professional obligations. A methodology is developed drawing on core professional values, the nature of professions, and the justification for distinct professional obligations. Though doctors have a professional obligation to prevent public peril, they do not honor it by breaching confidentiality. It is shown (...) how the protective purpose to be furthered by reporting is defeated by the practice of reporting. Hence there is no conflict between confidentiality and the professional responsibility to protect endangered third parties. (shrink)

Although essential elements of the informed consent process rest on the practical skills of the research coordinators who solicit potential research participants, little attention has been paid to the practical and interpersonal aspects of research subject recruitment. This case report is a reflection by a research coordinator and principal investigator of minimal risk research on two aspects of the day-to-day process of soliciting informed consent to research, the various ways potential subjects can say “yes” or “no” to participation, and the (...) practical uses of the consent form. (shrink)

This textbook in Medical Ethics covers most of the standard issues. Each chapter begins with detailed comments by the editors, followed by the best available articles on each topic covered.