Basics of Clinical Ethics

Neurologists encounter patients who develop diseases that suddenly change their life one day, such as stroke, and diseases that are difficult to cure and progressive, such as intractable neurological diseases. There are many types of ethical issues, including the choice of medical intervention, caregiver conflict, genetic disease issues, end-of-life issues, etc. In this article, I will describe the matters advocated in general clinical ethics and discuss the interpretation and application in the field of neurology based on my own experience. The issue is why clinical ethics is necessary, methodologies and systems for dealing with ethical issues, four principles of clinical ethics, Jonsen's four contingency table, ethical consultation, application in neurological diseases, and issues to be noted.