9781422280768

WHEN WE ARE ILL OR INJURED, we expect those caring for us to do all they can to make us beƒer. As medical science grows, treatment options and the professionals who can deliver them become more varied, more advanced, and more effective. But can modern medicine present new problems too? New methods of treating diseases are o en complicated and expensive. On top of concerns about the rising costs of health care, medical interventions may have been developed in ways that make people raise ethical questions—about whether choices are right or wrong. There are also patients who do not want the treatments they are recommended to take—or they may prefer no treatment at all. How much say should we have in what we allow medical professionals to do? In this book, we will look at the many ways we treat the sick and consider some of the questions medical interventions raise. The topics are complex—there may not be “right” answers to the issues—but they are important to explore if we are to have an informed say in the future of health care. chapte r INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH CARE

Modern medicine is a complex science— it doesn’t just involve doctors and nurses. Researchers and lab technicians also play a vital part, developing new drugs and lifesaving procedures.

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