This overview of medical law and ethics is written in straightforward language for healthcare professionals who must be able to cope with multiple legal and ethical issues they encounter while working in a variety of settings—e.g., the medical office, hospitals, clinics, and skilled nursing facilities. It is designed to help them better understand their ethical obligation to themselves, their patients, and their employer, and covers a wide range of topics—e.g., the legal system, the patient/physician relationship, professional liability and medical malpractice, public duties of the physician, the medical record, and ethical and bioethical issues.