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for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.
| Unit name |
Medicine and Law |
| Unit code |
LAWD30004 |
| Credit points |
20 |
| Level of study |
H/6
|
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
|
| Unit director |
Professor. Quick |
| Open unit status |
Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
For Medical Law (LAWD20039), Law of Tort (LAWD10011)
|
| Co-requisites |
None, other than those co-requisites for undertaking study on the programme BSc (Hons) in Bioethics.
|
| School/department |
University of Bristol Law School |
| Faculty |
Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Description including Unit Aims
This unit provides an introduction to the general principles of Medical Law and a detailed study of specific topics within the field. General topics are:
- Medical law and ethics;
- Regulation of the medical profession;
- The structure of the healthcare system;
- Resource allocation;
- Consent to/authorisation of treatment both for persons who have, and who are deemed to lack, decision-making capacity.
Specific topics, not all of which will be covered each year, are:
- Abortion;
- End of life (definitions of death and dying; treatment of patients with serious/terminal illness; advance directives; assisted dying);
- Mental health
- Organ donation & transplantation;
- Patient safety;
- Children and consent to treatment.
Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit a successful student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a good understanding of the principles of Medical Law and the areas of medical ethics that relate to the law, and a facility in relating one to the other;
- Demonstrate an understanding of relevant cases and statutes, being able to state the law accurately;
- Critically evaluate when, how, and why law should govern medical practice;
- Explain and apply legal principles to practical and policy problems;
- Think critically about ways in which the law could be reformed;
- Exercise and apply critical legal research skills.
Teaching Information
Teaching will be delivered through a variety of asynchronous and synchronous activities
Assessment Information
1 x summative assessment: coursework with a specified word count (100%)
The assessment will assess all of the intended learning outcomes for this unit.
Reading and References
The recommended background text for the unit is Emily Jackson, Medical Law: Text, Cases and Materials, (5th Ed.) Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2019.
