Ethics of emergency medicine

The book focuses on field-specific topics in acute and emergency care from an ethical perspective. The authors aim to describe dilemmas that are not yet very common in the Czech medical-ethical discussion, but which doctors and paramedics encounter. The texts are based on practice and are also oriented towards clinical practice.

This book is not about theoretical research, but poses questions that will sooner or later be encountered not only by specialists in emergency medicine but by all healthcare professionals who may face acute conditions. Is it always necessary to resuscitate? And if not, when is resuscitation harmful? How do you talk to a patient in the terminal phase of life, how do you remain human and not hide behind medicine and technology? Is ethics necessary even when managing major incidents and disasters? How do you accept the principle of triage when there are too many sick or injured people and not enough resources to help? Is restricting an individual's freedom during a disaster the right thing to do? What is ethical when reporting on illness, health, and major incidents in the media? Are there inequalities in the provision of healthcare? How do you manage patients who are destroying their own health, how do you treat the perpetrators of traffic accidents, aggressors, and those who attempt suicide? In this publication, the authors have attempted to answer these and many other questions.