Written by: Madison Elliott
Ethics are a huge deal in the medical field. People often misjudge the medical fields code of ethics, usually because they do not understand what it is and all of the “rules” that doctors have to obey. According to the American Medical Association, there are principles that go along with the medical code of ethics, which are I. A physician shall be dedicated to providing competent medical care, with compassion and respect for human dignity and rights, II. A physician shall uphold the standards of professionalism, be honest in all professional interactions, and strive to report physicians deficient in character or competence, or engaging in fraud or deception, to appropriate entities, III. A physician shall respect the law and also recognize a responsibility to seek changes in those requirements which are contrary to the best interests of the patient, IV. A physician shall respect the rights of patients, colleagues, and other health professionals, and shall safeguard patient confidences and privacy within the constraints of the law, V. A physician shall continue to study, apply, and advance scientific knowledge, maintain a commitment to medical education, make relevant information available to patients, colleagues, and the public, obtain consultation, and use the talents of other health professionals when indicated, VI. A physician shall, in the provision of appropriate patient care, except in emergencies, be free to choose whom to serve, with whom to associate, and the environment in which to provide medical care, VII. A physician shall recognize a responsibility to participate in activities contributing to the improvement of the community and the betterment of public health, VIII. A physician shall, while caring for a patient, regard responsibility to the patient as paramount, and IX. A physician shall support access to medical care for all people.
For people on the outside of the medical field, I think that most would agree that these are reasonable and responsible to follow. For the most part, I think that it is easy to guess what the medical code of ethics are and most people do know them, which is good because it can be useful for not only the doctors of the world, but also them when they are being treated if they do not feel like their caregiver is following them. As a general standard, people do believe that medical professionals follow these ethical guidelines. People put their full trust in doctors and other people in the medical field and I do not think that they would be able to do that if they did not think that they followed their code of ethics.
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