Medical ethics - Introduction: Difference between revisions
(Created page with "Deontology is a set of rights and duties attached to an activity. It is codified in various ways for many professions (doctors, lawyers, priests, judges, etc.) and is intrinsically linked to ethics, i.e. to personal and collective philosophical considerations. Professions considered to be in the public interest are generally governed by the law. Medical deontology is made up of : Rules enshrined in the Constitution, laws and royal decrees (A.R.), judicial jurisprudence...") |
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Deontology is a set of rights and duties attached to an activity. It is codified in various ways for many professions (doctors, lawyers, priests, judges, etc.) and is intrinsically linked to ethics, i.e. to personal and collective philosophical considerations. Professions considered to be in the public interest are generally governed by the law. | Deontology is a set of rights and duties attached to an activity. It is codified in various ways for many professions (doctors, lawyers, priests, judges, etc.) and is intrinsically linked to ethics, i.e. to personal and collective philosophical considerations. Professions considered to be in the public interest are generally governed by the law. | ||
Medical deontology is made up of : | '''Medical deontology''' is made up of : | ||
Rules enshrined in the Constitution, laws and | * Rules enshrined in the Constitution, laws and government decrees, judicial jurisprudence and administrative regulations | ||
* Rules of professional ethics and disciplinary law (Code of Medical Ethics) | |||
Rules of professional ethics and disciplinary law (Code of Medical Ethics) | * Oaths taken on a generally non-compulsory basis (e.g. the Hippocratic Oath) | ||
* Personal conscience (ethical and moral considerations specific to each physician) | |||
Oaths taken on a generally non-compulsory basis (e.g. the Hippocratic Oath) | |||
Personal conscience (ethical and moral considerations specific to each physician) | |||
It therefore varies greatly from country to country and from era to era. Although doctors are generally allowed relative freedom of interpretation, situations in which these different rules are likely to contradict each other are not uncommon (e.g.: doctors' involvement in lethal injections, end-of-life care, abortion, contraception, animal and human experimentation, etc.). Thus, without even mentioning cases of conscience, there are numerous instances of doctors being found guilty of respecting the imperatives of the medical profession, and vice versa. | It therefore varies greatly from country to country and from era to era. Although doctors are generally allowed relative freedom of interpretation, situations in which these different rules are likely to contradict each other are not uncommon (e.g.: doctors' involvement in lethal injections, end-of-life care, abortion, contraception, animal and human experimentation, etc.). Thus, without even mentioning cases of conscience, there are numerous instances of doctors being found guilty of respecting the imperatives of the medical profession, and vice versa. | ||
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Various chapters will be dealt with here: | Various chapters will be dealt with here: | ||
* Legal framework of medical ethics | |||
* The Hippocratic Oath | |||
Legal framework of medical ethics | * The doctor's role | ||
* Bioethics | |||
The Hippocratic Oath | * Euthanasia | ||
* Code of medical ethics | |||
The doctor's role | * Law directly related to medical practice | ||
Bioethics | |||
Euthanasia | |||
Code of medical ethics | |||
Law directly related to medical practice | |||
The Codes of medical Ethics and legislations of most countries can be consulted online (e.g.: Code of Ethics of the American Medical Association and US legislation, Code of Ethics of the Belgian Medical Association and Belgian legislation). | |||
== Author(s) == | |||
Dr Shanan Khairi, MD | Dr Shanan Khairi, MD | ||
Revision as of 22:18, 18 September 2023
Deontology is a set of rights and duties attached to an activity. It is codified in various ways for many professions (doctors, lawyers, priests, judges, etc.) and is intrinsically linked to ethics, i.e. to personal and collective philosophical considerations. Professions considered to be in the public interest are generally governed by the law.
Medical deontology is made up of :
- Rules enshrined in the Constitution, laws and government decrees, judicial jurisprudence and administrative regulations
- Rules of professional ethics and disciplinary law (Code of Medical Ethics)
- Oaths taken on a generally non-compulsory basis (e.g. the Hippocratic Oath)
- Personal conscience (ethical and moral considerations specific to each physician)
It therefore varies greatly from country to country and from era to era. Although doctors are generally allowed relative freedom of interpretation, situations in which these different rules are likely to contradict each other are not uncommon (e.g.: doctors' involvement in lethal injections, end-of-life care, abortion, contraception, animal and human experimentation, etc.). Thus, without even mentioning cases of conscience, there are numerous instances of doctors being found guilty of respecting the imperatives of the medical profession, and vice versa.
Various chapters will be dealt with here:
- Legal framework of medical ethics
- The Hippocratic Oath
- The doctor's role
- Bioethics
- Euthanasia
- Code of medical ethics
- Law directly related to medical practice
The Codes of medical Ethics and legislations of most countries can be consulted online (e.g.: Code of Ethics of the American Medical Association and US legislation, Code of Ethics of the Belgian Medical Association and Belgian legislation).
Author(s)
Dr Shanan Khairi, MD