This series is intended to elucidate key concepts in bioethics and to help clinicians to integrate bioethical knowledge into daily practice. These articles are written by scholars in medicine, ethics and law. The first set of articles was published in CMAJ between 1996 and 1998 and formed the basis of a book entitled Bioethics at the Bedside: a Clinician's Guide. A new set of articles, launched in CMAJ in 2000, includes several essays that tackle the complex issues that arise from the cultural diversity of the context in which Canadian physicians practise; these will be available in a separate file.
The cases in the Bioethics for clinicians series reflect the authors' experience and are not intended to refer to any particular case.