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Medical Ethics

Code of Ethics: Professionalism

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“The practice of medicine is an art, not a trade; a calling, not a business; a calling in which your heart will be exercised equally with your head,” said William Osler (Osler, 1904). Medicine is not, as Francis Peabody said, “a trade to be learned, but a profession to be entered” (Peabody, 1927). A profession is characterized by a specialized body of knowledge that its members must teach and expand; by a code of ethics and a duty of service that, in medicine, puts patient care above self-interest; and by the privilege of self-regulation granted by society (Medicine., 2002). Physicians must individually and collectively fulfill the duties of the profession. The ethical foundations of the profession must remain in sharp focus despite outside influences on medicine, individuals. and the patient–physician relationship (Physicians., 2012; Snyder, 1998)."

American College of Physicians Ethics Manual. (2019). (A. C. o. Physicians, Ed. 7th Edition ed.). Annals of Internal Medicine. https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M18-2160 

ABIM Foundation; ACP-ASIM Foundation; European Federation of Internal Medicine. Medical professionalism in the new millennium: a physician charter. Ann Intern Med. 2002;136(3):243-246. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-136-3-200202050-00012

Osler, W. (1904). Aequanimitas: With Other Addresses to Medical Students, Nurses and Practitioners of Medicine.

Peabody, F. (1927). The Care of the Patient. Jama, 88, 877-882. 

Physicians., G. J. S. L. H. a. P. P. C. o. t. A. C. o. (2012). Statement of principles on the role of governments in regulating the patient-physician relationship: a statement of principles of the American College of Physicians. https://www.medchi.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=ytwgFhaDCEQ%3D&portalid=18

Snyder, L. T., J. (1998). Obligations and opportunities: the role of clinical societies in the ethics of managed care. . J Am Geriatr Soc., 46, 378-380. 

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  • Medical, Societal, and Ethical Considerations for Directed Blood Donation in 2025This link opens in a new window In the United States and other high-income countries, blood donation primarily relies on anonymous, voluntary donors. However, directed blood donation-where people donate for a specific recipient-has resurged, particularly due to misinformation surrounding COVID-19 vaccination. Requests for "nonvaccinated" blood, driven by misconceptions about vaccine safety, have led to legislative attempts to mandate compliance. Historically, directed donation was used to mitigate the risk for... May 12, 2025
  • Structures of Safety in Hospital Disposition: Five Ethical ResponsibilitiesThis link opens in a new window Complex hospital disposition is categorized by the difficulty or impossibility, despite efforts, to secure a medically safe discharge option for a patient. Discharge planning should negotiate limited inpatient resources that must be distributed justly, while also considering failures of outpatient and social resources to meet the patient's needs. This essay argues that recognition of these structural insufficiencies, which are inequitably distributed, must be a starting point for addressing safe... May 12, 2025
  • Mitigating Bias in Machine Learning Models with Ethics-Based Initiatives: The Case of SepsisThis link opens in a new window This paper discusses ethics-based strategies for mitigating bias in machine learning models used to predict sepsis onset. The first part discusses how various kinds of bias and their potential synergies can reduce predictive accuracy, especially as those biases derive from social determinants of health (SDOHs) and from the design and construction of the predictive model. The second part of the essay discusses how certain ethically-based strategies might mitigate the potential for disparate or... May 12, 2025
  • A Survey of Medical Ethics Curricula at 11 US Medical SchoolsThis link opens in a new window CONCLUSION: Most of the reviewed schools' ethics curricula lacked comprehensive vertical integration-something that can be achieved with careful planning. We present an integrative model based on discussions with the minority of schools that have successfully integrated ethics seamlessly into their curricula. May 12, 2025
  • Testing the TEC-MED-Integrated Transcultural Social-Ethical-Care Model for Older People in the Mediterranean Basin: A Mixed-Method Quasiexperimental Study ProtocolThis link opens in a new window BACKGROUND: The global shift toward aging populations, driven by advancements in the economy, healthcare, and society, has transformed once-lethal diseases into chronic conditions. Complex patient management scenarios emerge through this trend, coupled with demographic changes, given that multiple chronic diseases coexist within an individual. The TEC-MED project, which spans multiple countries, aims to evaluate whether the TEC-MED model can improve the quality of life and reduce care dependency... May 12, 2025
  • Counseling Ethics: The Case of Sexuality InformationThis link opens in a new window CONCLUSION: The majority of participants (57%) thus expressed the view that the most appropriate behavior on the part of the counselor was to provide the most comprehensive information possible, and certainly not to focus solely on the biological aspects of sex education during counseling. This view was largely independent of contextual elements such as the limits to communication set by the parents or even the limits to communication set by the adolescent. May 12, 2025
  • Research ethics education needs assessment in Serbian medical researchersThis link opens in a new window The lack of formal education in research ethics is a significant issue for the ethical conduct of research in Serbia. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in a sample of researchers and ethics committee members in Serbia to evaluate their self-assessed competence and educational needs in research ethics. Results indicated that previous ethics education had a significant effect on respondents' perception of their own competence in addressing issues like informed consent, authorship and... May 12, 2025
  • Ethical Considerations in Pediatric External Ear SurgeryThis link opens in a new window The distinction between reconstructive and aesthetic surgery becomes less apparent when body image and self-esteem secondary to congenital deformities affect psychosocial well-being. Parents and plastic surgeons debate the appropriate age to correct non-life-threatening congenital defects to avoid a psychologically distressing event to the child. Furthermore, an ethical debate emerges when parents make decisions on behalf of children below the age of consent and lack the necessary cognitive... May 12, 2025
  • Ethical considerations and termination criteria in cardiopulmonary resuscitationThis link opens in a new window No abstract May 11, 2025
  • Good bioethics and a good bioethicist: John McMillan's contributions to JME's legacyThis link opens in a new window No abstract May 11, 2025
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