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  • © 2017

Rethinking Rural Health Ethics

  • The first book to critique the existing urban-centric understanding of health ethics
  • Reframes our current understanding of how ethics operates in a rural health context
  • Recognises and builds upon the strengths inherent in rural contexts creating a positive approach to rural health ethics
  • Provides an ethical approach which supports decision-making about policy and practices at micro, meso and macro levels in rural health care

Part of the book series: International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine (LIME, volume 72)

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
  2. Introduction

    • Christy Simpson, Fiona McDonald
    Pages 1-13
  3. Deconstructing Rural Health Ethics

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 15-15
    2. Rural Health Ethics: Where Have We Been and What Is Missing?

      • Christy Simpson, Fiona McDonald
      Pages 17-30
    3. The Deficit Perspective

      • Christy Simpson, Fiona McDonald
      Pages 31-44
    4. The Idealisation of Rural Life and Rural Health Care

      • Christy Simpson, Fiona McDonald
      Pages 45-57
  4. Reconstructing Rural Health Ethics

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 59-59
    2. The Value of Place

      • Christy Simpson, Fiona McDonald
      Pages 61-75
    3. The Value of Community

      • Christy Simpson, Fiona McDonald
      Pages 77-93
    4. The Value of Relationships

      • Christy Simpson, Fiona McDonald
      Pages 95-117
    5. Taking It to the Next (Meso) Level: Organisational Ethics

      • Christy Simpson, Fiona McDonald
      Pages 119-138
    6. Rethinking Rural Health Ethics

      • Christy Simpson, Fiona McDonald
      Pages 161-171
  5. Back Matter

    Pages 173-175

About this book

This book challenges readers to rethink rural health ethics.  Traditional approaches to health ethics are often urban-centric, making implicit assumptions about how values and norms apply in health care practice, and as such may fail to take into account the complexity, depth, richness, and diversity of the rural context.  There are ethically relevant differences between rural health practice and rural health services delivery and urban practice and delivery that go beyond the stereotypes associated with rural life and rural health services.  This book examines key values in the rural context that have not been fully explored or taken into account when we examine health ethics issues, including the values of community and place, and a need to “revalue” relationships. It also advocates for a greater attention to meso and macro level analysis in rural health ethics as being critical to ethical analysis of rural health care.  This book is essential reading for thoseinvolved in health ethics, rural health policy and governance, and for rural health providers.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Bioethics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada

    Christy Simpson

  • Australian Centre for Health Law Research, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

    Fiona McDonald

About the authors

Christy Simpson is Head and an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioethics at Dalhousie University, Canada. She is the coordinator for the Ethics Collaborations with the Nova Scotia Health Authority, the IWK Health Centre, and the Nova Scotia Health Ethics Network. She is also an Adjunct Professor in the Australian Centre for Health Law Research at Queensland University of Technology.  Her primary responsibilities include ethics education and capacity-building, policy development and review, and support for clinical and organisational ethics consultations. 

Fiona McDonald is a Senior Lecturer in the Australian Centre for Health Law Research at Queensland University of Technology, Australia and is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Bioethics at Dalhousie University, Canada.  She teaches health law, health ethics and health management at the under-graduate and graduate levels.  Her research interests are focused on the governance ofhealth systems.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access