Up-to-date case studies focus on specific cases from the fields of bio- and medical ethics by brief analyses of ethical aspects followed up by legal commentary. Non-clinical cases from research ethics and ethics in the life sciences are discussed as well as cases from clinical practice in the fields of surgery, intensive and emergency medicine, genetic screening, general medicine, neurology, psychiatry and internal medicine.

This volume gives an overview on the currently debated ethical issues regarding advance directives from an international perspective. It focuses on a wider understanding of the known and widely accepted concept of patient self-determination for future situations. Although advance directives have been widely discussed since the 1980s, the ethical bases of advance directives still remain a matter of heated debates. The book aims to contribute to these controversial debates by integrating fundamental ethical issues on advance directives with practical matters of their implementation. Cultural,...