Essential Medical ethics
- 1. Definition of Medical ethics
- 2. Law and Ethics1
- 3. Four pillars of medical ethics1-
- 3.1. Autonomy: This is the right of the patient to make informed decisions on his own will.
- 3.2. Beneficience: The doctor should always act for the betterment or welfare of the patient.
- 3.3. Nonmaleficience: The doctor should not indulge in any action that can intentionally harm the patient.
- 3.4. Justice: Justice is a complex ethical principle with meanings that range from the fair treatment of individuals to the equitable allocation of healthcare finance and resources.
- 4. Duties and Responsibilities of the Doctor2
- 5. Unethical Acts
- 6. Misconduct3
- 7. Consent
- 8. Consent not Required
- 9. Law of Torts
- 10. Tools of practice for medical ethics1
- 11. Implementation
Definition of Medical ethics
Medical ethics is a system of moral principles that apply values and judgments to the practice of medicine.
Law and Ethics1
Law is an obligation on the part of society imposed by the competent authority, and noncompliance may lead to punishment in the form of monetary (fine) or imprisonment or both. There are two kinds of laws mainly, statutory law and judgment law.
“Ethics” is concerned with studying and/or building up a coherent set of “rules” or principles by which people ought to live. It is the social value which binds the society by uniform opinion/consideration and enables the society to decide what is wrong and what is right. It is the science of morale concerning principle of human duty in the society.
Four pillars of medical ethics1–
Autonomy: This is the right of the patient to make informed decisions on his own will.
Beneficience: The doctor should always act for the betterment or welfare of the patient.
Nonmaleficience: The doctor should not indulge in any action that can intentionally harm the patient.
Justice: Justice is a complex ethical principle with meanings that range from the fair treatment of individuals to the equitable allocation of healthcare finance and resources.
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