Ethics, Law and Health Care
A Guide for Nurses and Midwives
Fiona McDonald (Author) , Shih-Ning Then (Author) , Sam Boyle (Author) , Michelle Gunn (Author) , Mary Claire Balnaves (Author)
- Textbook
Ethics, Law and Health Care
A Guide for Nurses and Midwives
Fiona McDonald (Author) , Shih-Ning Then (Author) , Sam Boyle (Author) , Michelle Gunn (Author) , Mary Claire Balnaves (Author)
- Textbook
For information on how we process your data, read our Privacy Policy
Description
Now in its third edition, this popular textbook equips health care professionals with the tools to navigate legal and ethical challenges effectively.
Grounded in the four principles of biomedical ethics – autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence and justice – and aligned with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Codes of Ethics and Codes of Conduct, it provides a clear framework for analysing and approaching complex ethical and legal issues in professional practice.
New to this edition:
- Contributions from a diverse team of new and established co-authors
- Two brand-new chapters on dispensing and prescribing medications and independent practice
- Expanded coverage on rural practice, cultural safety and Indigenous perspectives
- Comprehensive updates to reflect changes in law, including human rights legislation and revised professional codes
Packed with practical learning tools, this book is an essential resource for students and practitioners, offering a clear decision-making framework to help you act with confidence.
Accessibility Information
Additional accessibility information
- EPUB 3.0
- Conforms with the requirements of EPUB Accessibility Spec v1.1
- WCAG level AA
- WCAG v2.2 compliant
Visual adjustments
Appearance of the text and page layout can be modified according to the capabilities of the reading system (font family and size, spaces, as well as color of background and text)
Navigation
Purposes of all links are made clear
Table of Contents
Chapter 2: Ethics and ethical and legal decision-making frameworks
Chapter 3: The Australian legal system
Chapter 4: Ethics, law and nursing and midwifery practice
Chapter 5: Ethics, Law and nursing and midwifery scope of practice
Chapter 6: Adult patients – consent and refusal of consent
Chapter 7: Children and young people as patients
Chapter 8: Ethics, law, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients
Chapter 9: Law, ethics, and health information management
Chapter 10: Patient safety and negligence
Chapter 11: Ethics, law, and mental health
Chapter 12: Ethics, law, and the elderly
Chapter 13: End-of-life issues
Chapter 14: Issues relevant to reproduction, pregnancy, and the birth of a child
Chapter 15: Ethics, law, and dispensing and prescribing medications
Appendices
Code of conduct for nurses
Code of conduct for midwives
Where to find the International Council of Nurses Code of Ethics and the International Confederation of Midwives Code of Ethics
Glossary
Index
Product details
| Published | 25 Jun 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 3rd |
| Pages | 432 |
| ISBN | 9781350514003 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |






















