o_19jas4juc1usi1j20opj1958dfa.pdf

More documents

Recommendations

Info

8. Disclosures to protect others. 9. Disclosures about patients who lack capacity to consent. 10. Sharing information with a patient's partner, carers, relatives or friends. 11. Genetic and other shared information 12. Disclosure after a patient's death 13. Part A: An introduction to medical ethics in the Commonwealth 8. An introduction to the common law. One third of the world's population (approximately 2.3 billion people) live in common law jurisdictions or in systems mixed with civil law. Common law originated during the Middle Ages in England, and from there was propagated to the colonies of the British Empire, including India, the United States, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Canada and all its provinces (except Quebec), Malaysia, Ghana, Australia, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Singapore, Burma, Ireland, New Zealand, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Cyprus, Barbados, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Namibia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Botswana, Guyana, and Fiji. 1 1 For a full list of Commonwealth member states, see Appendix A.
The common law forms the basis of the legal systems of most states in the Commonwealth, formally known as the Commonwealth of Nations, which is made up of 53 member states united by language, history, culture, and their shared values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. The Commonwealth dates back to the mid-20th century with the decolonisation of the British Empire through increased self-governance of its territories. The Commonwealth was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which established the member states as "free and equal". The Commonwealth covers more than 29,958,050 km2 (11,566,870 sq mi), almost a quarter of the world land area, and spans all continents. The Commonwealth in 2014 produced a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $10.45 trillion, representing 17% of the gross world product when measured in purchasing power parity (PPP) and 14% of the gross world product when measured nominally. 9. Medical law in the Commonwealth. Although there are marked similarities between the legal systems of the Commonwealth countries, each jurisdiction has developed its own principles and structures. The specific legal principles therefore vary from one country to the next. However, a good deal of common ground exists. This is becoming increasingly so as the effects of information technology make their impact felt. The Ethical Guidelines are a collection of principles which reflect a broad international consensus on the applicable principles governing medical law, seen through the lens of the foundational values of the Commonwealth: the promotion of democracy and development, commitment to democracy, good governance, human rights, gender equality, and a more equitable sharing of the benefits of globalisation.
Page 1 and 2: The Commonwealth Medical Law Societ
Page 3: Part C: The maintenance of professi
Page 7 and 8: 11.2. The exercise of judgement is
Page 9 and 10: patients in caring for themselves a
Page 11 and 12: 1.4. The level of experience of the
Page 13 and 14: made to meet the patient’s langua
Page 15 and 16: 8.2. Confidentiality is central to
Page 17 and 18: 8.9. Personal information can be di
Page 19 and 20: 9.2. The practitioner should respec
Page 21 and 22: 10.3. The patient’s consent shoul
Page 23 and 24: 13.1. When making decisions about w
Page 25 and 26: B. Sharing information with a patie
Page 27 and 28: should usually respect their wishes
Page 29 and 30: 5. Practitioners should take into a
Page 31 and 32: 16. Where a young person has capaci
Page 33 and 34: Medical confidentiality. 5. The gen

o_19jas4juc1usi1j20opj1958dfa.pdf

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?