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Medical ethics

For the 1803 textbook, see Medical Ethics (book). For the journal, see Journal of Medical Ethics.
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Medical ethics
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Medical ethics is an applied branch of ethics which analyzes the practice of clinical medicine and related scientific research.[1] Medical ethics is based on a set of values that professionals can refer to in the case of any confusion or conflict. These values include the respect for autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice.[2] Such tenets may allow doctors, care providers, and families to create a treatment plan and work towards the same common goal.[3] These four values are not ranked in order of importance or relevance and they all encompass values pertaining to medical ethics.[4] However, a conflict may arise leading to the need for hierarchy in an ethical system, such that some moral elements overrule others with the purpose of applying the best moral judgement to a difficult medical situation.[5] Medical ethics is particularly relevant in decisions regarding involuntary treatment and involuntary commitment.

There are several codes of conduct. The Hippocratic Oath discusses basic principles for medical professionals.[5] This document dates back to the fifth century BCE.[6] Both The Declaration of Helsinki (1964) and The Nuremberg Code (1947) are two well-known and well respected documents contributing to medical ethics. Other important markings in the history of medical ethics include Roe v. Wade[why?] in 1973 and the development of hemodialysis in the 1960s. With hemodialysis now available, but a limited number of dialysis machines to treat patients, an ethical question arose on which patients to treat and which ones not to treat, and which factors to use in making such a decision.[7] More recently, new techniques for gene editing aiming at treating, preventing and curing diseases utilizing gene editing, are raising important moral questions about their applications in medicine and treatments as well as societal impacts on future generations.[8][9]

As this field continues to develop and change throughout history, the focus remains on fair, balanced, and moral thinking across all cultural and religious backgrounds around the world.[10][11] The field of medical ethics encompasses both practical application in clinical settings and scholarly work in philosophy, history, and sociology.

Medical ethics encompasses beneficence, autonomy, and justice as they relate to conflicts such as euthanasia, patient confidentiality, informed consent, and conflicts of interest in healthcare.[12][13][14] In addition, medical ethics and culture are interconnected as different cultures implement ethical values differently, sometimes placing more emphasis on family values and downplaying the importance of autonomy. This leads to an increasing need for culturally sensitive physicians and ethical committees in hospitals and other healthcare settings.[10][11][15]

  1. ^ Young, Michael; Wagner, Angela (2023), "Medical Ethics", StatPearls, Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing, PMID 30570982, retrieved 2023-11-24
  2. ^ Beauchamp, J. (2013). "Principles of Biomedical Ethics". Principles of Biomedical Ethics. 7.
  3. ^ Weise, Mary (2016). "Medical Ethics Made Easy". Professional Case Management. 21 (2): 88–94. doi:10.1097/ncm.0000000000000151. PMID 26844716. S2CID 20134799.
  4. ^ "Bioethic Tools: Principles of Bioethics". depts.washington.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2017-03-21.
  5. ^ a b Berdine, Gilbert (2015-01-10). "The Hippocratic Oath and Principles of Medical Ethics". The Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles. 3 (9): 28–32–32. doi:10.12746/swrccc.v3i9.185. ISSN 2325-9205.
  6. ^ Riddick, Frank (Spring 2003). "The Code of Medical Ethics of the American Medical Association". The Ochsner Journal. 5 (2): 6–10. PMC 3399321. PMID 22826677.
  7. ^ Butler, Catherine R.; Mehrotra, Rajnish; Tonelli, Mark R.; Lam, Daniel Y. (2016-04-07). "The Evolving Ethics of Dialysis in the United States: A Principlist Bioethics Approach". Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 11 (4): 704–709. doi:10.2215/CJN.04780515. ISSN 1555-9041. PMC 4822659. PMID 26912540.
  8. ^ "Safeguarding the future of human gene editing". login.proxylib.csueastbay.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  9. ^ Veit, Walter (2018). "Procreative Beneficence and Genetic Enhancement". KRITERION – Journal of Philosophy. 32 (11): 1–8. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.11026.89289.
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference :17 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference :12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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