EMBARGOED UNTIL 16 MARCH 2006
New journal to examine medical ethics in the UK
The Royal Society of Medicine has today launched a new journal on medical ethics.
Clinical Ethics examines ethical issues as they relate to health care delivery, research and policy. The journal provides a forum for cross-disciplinary research and debate on issues of contemporary relevance. It will have a particular emphasis on how ethics are, and should be, applied in clinical practice.
The new journal is being published quarterly and edited by two leading figures in medical ethics in the UK, Bobbie Farsides1 and Sue Eckstein2.
The Royal Society of Medicine’s Acting Executive Director, Peter Richardson, said the new journal filled an important gap in the UK.
“There is growing interest in ethics and its implementation, particularly in hospital settings. However, there is also a lack of understanding about how this can be applied in day-to-day clinical practice,”said Mr Richardson.
“Clinical Ethics will help to clarify many of the issues faced by health professionals. For example, by using case studies of real life situations they are likely to encounter, the journal will be of real and practical use in their work,”he said.
The first issue of the journal will go online on Thursday, 16 March. As a sample issue, it will be available free at www.clinicalethics.co.uk.
Clinical Ethics editors, Bobbie Farsides and Sue Eckstein, believe the launch is timely because of an increasing professional focus on ethics especially in clinical settings.
“This journal is about taking ethics to the coalface and providing practitioners and service-users, as well as interested academics, with material that they can use in an everyday setting,”they said.
Each Section of Clinical Ethics will be overseen by a member of the journal’s Editorial Committee. A typical issue will feature:
Case studies
The case study Section, edited by Dr Heather Draper of Birmingham University Medical School, will include a detailed case per issue that will be discussed by the journal’s
“virtual ethics committee”. This is a group of four experienced members of real clinical ethics committees who, over the course of a year, will discuss the complex issues raised by the cases. The journal will also publish appropriately anonymised case studies submitted by readers and articles relating to the use of case study material in education and training.
Five Minute Focus
The journal aims to be a practical guide for busy health professionals and this Section, edited by Dr Anne Slowther of Warwick University Medical School, will present a complex ethical issue in a clear and concise manner. The Five Minute Focus in the first issue will examine Do Not Attempt Resuscitation Orders.
Public Policy & Law
This Section, edited by Dr Sara Fovargue of Lancaster University, will report and analyse legislative, legal and public policy developments on the provision of health care and the principles upon which health care systems are based.
Empirical Ethics
Clinical Ethics is committed to publicising cross-disciplinary research papers on the ethics of health care. The editor of this Section, Dr Clare Williams of King’s College London, is an experienced social scientist and she has encouraged contributions from many influential colleagues engaged in social science research relating to the ethics of clinical practice.
As well as these regular Sections, every issue of journal will also include a range of peer-reviewed articles that reflect the challenging issues within clinical ethics. The first issue includes a paper on eugenics and embryo selection by Dr Stephen Wilkinson as well as the transcript of a public lecture given by Professor Jonathon Glover at Great Ormond Street Hospital on the ethical issues relating to withholding treatment from babies and young children.
In addition to the Editorial Committee, Clinical Ethics has a distinguished international Editorial Advisory Board chaired by Professor Alan Roberts, of the Universities of Bradford and Hull, and a prominent figure in the field of clinical and research ethics in the UK.
Clinical Ethics will feature online access for all subscribers. For further information or to subscribe go to www.clinicalethics.co.uk
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Clinical Ethics is published quarterly by the Royal Society of Medicine. The first issue will be free and available online from 16 March. Subsequent issues will be published at the start of each cover month, which are March, June, September and December.
1 From July 2006 Bobbie Farsides will hold the post of Professor of Clinical and Biomedical Ethics at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. She is currently Senior Lecturer in Medical Ethics at King’s College London.
2 Sue Eckstein is Director of Programme Development at the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics, King’s College London.
