An accessible and fully up-to-date analysis of the legal issues facing health professionals. This popular book has been extensively revised and updated to provide thorough discussion of recent legal issues facing health professionals. Civil and criminal law principles relevant to medical practice are clearly and comprehensively explained. The author analyses the theoretical basis of those legal principles, revealing that the law in practice is often different from what it may appear in theory. He also examines the impact of recent tort law reform on medical claims and explains the complexities of evidence and proof as well as the defences available to health professionals. Written in a clear and straightforward style, Law and Medical Practice is an ideal source of reference for readers from either a legal or a medical background. New to This Edition: Recent nation-wide civil liability legislation and its effect to date on medical claims; New legislation on the registration of health professionals and quality assurance; New human rights legislation in Victoria and the ACT; New legislation on advance decision-making and the legal authority of careers and relatives; The National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2007; Changes to privacy legislation and the proposed National Health Privacy Code.