Principles of Medical Ethics

written by Alex Reddy

A series of unspoken laws govern those who practice in the medical field. Unlike authentic laws, breaking these won't send you to jail. However, by breaking these unspoken laws, you could put yourself out of a job. These “unspoken laws” are known as Medical Ethics.

Everyone would like to believe they have perfect ethics, but the truth is, sometimes people don't know what to do in a certain situation and need guidance. Ethics are most commonly known as morals or principles that shape the way someone behaves (Merriam-Webster). Not everyone has good ethics; Therefore, to work in the medical field, medical professionals follow a nation wide ethical baseline. The baseline for all medical professionals in the United States is known as, the principles of medical ethics.

Adopted in June of 1957, the principles of medical ethics were put into place in order to create an overall standard to how medical professionals should carry themselves. The ethics outline a variety of important topics. Some of these topics included supporting patients personal dignity, respecting the law, bettering public health, upholding high standards of professionalism, and also supporting the access of medical care to all people (AMA). Although it has been quite a while since the principles of medical ethics have been revised, the same principles are used today and still supported in the professional medical field.

Personally, I believe the principles of medical ethics are a very useful collection of ideals for all medical professionals to follow. Aside from just medical professionals, I think we all could learn a thing or two from this list of ethics. Supporting care to all people and respecting others rights and religion are just two of the many principles that I fully respect and wish to share with other professional fields.

If you wish to check out the full list of medical ethics, visit the website of the American Medical Association here.

Sources:

"Principles of Medical Ethics." Principles of Medical Ethics. American Medical Association, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2016.

"Simple Definition of Ethic." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2016.