Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Is the soul of medicine in jeopardy?

An excerpt from the JAMA article "Medical Professionalism in a Commercialized Health Care Market":
Endangered are the ethical foundations of medicine, including the commitment of physicians to put the needs of patients ahead of personal gain, to deal with patients honestly, competently, and compassionately, and to avoid conflicts of interest that could undermine public trust in the altruism of medicine. It is this commitment, what Freidson called the "soul" of the profession,1 that is eroding, even while its scientific and technical authority grows stronger. Ironically, medical science and technology are flourishing, even as the moral foundations of the medical profession lose their influence on the behavior of physicians.
Click here to access.

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