Course Description

Health care systems and the delivery of services function within a complicated maze of ethical and legal ambiguities and complexities. Through the discussion of real-life situations, this course will provide students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills needed by managers to navigate and prioritize interrelated ethical and legal issues in the workplace. The course will examine topics such as: consent and capacity to make health decisions; living wills and substitute decision makers; euthanasia; confidentiality of patient information; the regulation of health professionals and mandatory reporting requirements; risk management and medical malpractice; genetic screening; public health issues (e.g. tobacco control, mandatory vaccinations of health care workers); and other topics of practical importance to managers.