Doctors are the humanitarians in our society. Doctors are looked to bridge the gap between science and humankind. We look to doctors as important change agents to explain scientific understanding. The Hippocratic Oath is a required pledge taken by doctors to uphold specific ethical standards. The Hippocratic Oath: Modern Version states, “I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism” (Lasagna, 1964). Patients feel at ease knowing that their care providers are being held to a high moral and ethical standard. Taking a formal oath in public carries a symbolic importance for mutually the individual doctor and the greater public (Catto & Graeme, 2014). …show more content…
Hospitals and physicians started to see people’s illnesses as a “payday”. Instead of healing patients, pharmaceutical companies and hospitals created unnecessary means to objectify patients into receiving continual treatment, whether they necessarily need the specific treatment or not. As patients, we see doctors as honest and fair valuing their advice unsuspecting that they are overpricing, and/or over treating us for a pay increase. In the book An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back (2017) author Elisabeth Rosenthal shared a thought-provoking statement addressing that, “Many Patients can’t shake the idea that the one-on-one relationships with doctors that once earned the profession our respect and allegiance may no longer be medicine’s driving force” (eg. 204). As patients when doctors recommend a procedure, drug, or treatment we tend to not give it a second thought. Primarily because as patients we cannot fathom the idea that the doctors we have grown to love may not have our best interest as their first
Sarah Cullen and Margaret Klein, “Respect for Patients, Physicians, and the Truth,” in L. Vaughn, Bioethics: 148-55
When we see patients, we must remember that we are not simply treating a disease. We are caring for people with lives, hobbies, jobs, families, and friends, who are likely in a very vulnerable position. We must ensure that we use the status of physicians to benefit patients first and foremost, and do what we promised to when we entered the profession: provide care and improve quality of life, and hopefully leave the world a little better than it was
Miles, S. H. (2005). The Hippocratic oath and the ethics of medicine. Oxford: Oxford University
"In the past two decades or so, health care has been commercialized as never before, and professionalism in medicine seems to be giving way to entrepreneurialism," commented Arnold S. Relman, professor of medicine and social medicine at Harvard Medical School (Wekesser 66). This statement may have a great deal of bearing on reality. The tangled knot of insurers, physicians, drug companies, and hospitals that we call our health system is not as unselfish and focused on the patients' needs as people would like to think. Pharmaceutical companies are particularly ruthless, many of them spending millions of dollars per year to convince doctors to prescribe their drugs and to convince consumers that their specific brand of drug is needed in order to cure their ailments. For instance, they may present symptoms that are perfectly harmless, and lead potential citizens to believe that, because of these symptoms, they are "sick" and in need of medication.
As a junior in high school, I am considering medicine as a possible career choice. Through my research in this field, I discovered the Hippocratic Oath. The Hippocratic Oath is the most famous of the Hippocratic documents; it has served as an ideal for the professional attitude and ethics of physicians to the present; the historical origin of the oath is so obscure that even the date of its composition is placed from the 6th to the 1st century B.C.
Denise Dudzinski, PhD, MTS, Helene Starks, PhD, MPH, Nicole White, MD, MA (2009) ETHICS IN MEDICINE. Retrieved from: http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/pad.html
In his book The Silent World of Doctor and Patient, author Jay Katz describes the history of how physicians view the patient’s role in medical decision making. Particularly, within chapter one, “Physicians and Patients: A History of Silence,” Katz sheds light on the relationship between physicians and their patients and the scope of the physician’s authority.
Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." Pbs.org. NOVA, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 2 Feb. 2012.
The Hippocratic Oath was the example for medical etiquette for centuries and endures in modified form today. There is some uncertainty about when it was composed, the purposed for which it was intended, and the historical forces which shaped the document. It is said to have been written in the fifth century B.C. It's principles have slightly changed, if at all, regardless of the place and time, social systems, or religious beliefs. It is the basis for graduates of medical schools and the health professions all over the world.
Hippocratic Oath is one of the oldest binding documents in history, and it is still held sacred by physicians to help the ill, to preserve a patient's privacy, but most importantly it is taken by doctors swearing to practice medicine ethically. Practicing medicine ethically might have been very sacred centuries ago, but unfortunately it is not the case in today's society especially in the United States. Doctors in the United States face more than just high education costs, liability insurance payments, and long hours of work just to stay on top of the latest advancement in medical technology, but many of them also have to deal every day with insurance companies that do not want to cover their patients recommended treatments. A doctor's duty is to help people and practice medicine ethically, but that is impossible with the chaos that is happening in the American health care industry and a serious reform is needed such as the accepting the Patient Protection Affordability Care Act. The Patient Protection Affordable Care Act was signed into law on March 23rd, 2010 by Barrack Obama, but some do not agree with the "obamacare" are on the fast track to repeal the bill. The law would focuses on the health care reform in the United States by providing better coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, improving prescription drug coverage, but most importantly giving every person access to recommended preventative services without cost. (Department of Health and Human Services)
Healthcare is viewed in an unrealistic way by most individuals. Many people view a physician as the only means to find a solution to their problem. Nurses are still seen by some as simply “the person who does what the doctor says.” This is frustrating in today’s time when nurses are required to spend years on their education to help care for their patients. In many situations nurses are the only advocate that some patients’ have.
The Hippocratic Oath is a moral code for ethical conduct and practice in medicine. It was established accordingly to the ideals of Hippocrates, who belonged to the medical brotherhood of Asclepiads; he was considered the Father of Medicine because he separated the art and science of medicine from philosophy and religion. The oath was written between 470-380 BCE. One version of the Hippocratic Oath states, “I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses,
... correctly used by doctors instead of the ways how lies are commonly told in modern day medical practice. Overall, today’s physicians should not assume what they believe is best for their patients and should be truthful in relaying news about medical conditions, even though the diagnoses may be grave. Though the situation may look bleak, what doctors should do is take up the responsibility to be honest with their patients in order to honor the principle of respect for autonomy, and yet be beneficent by presenting a sense of realistic hope that treatment will succeed so that patients will not easily give up on their chance of living. Instead of putting one bioethical principle over the other, as seen with benevolent deception, a balance should be made in most circumstances so that a patient can receive the honest health care information he or she rightfully deserves.
Healthcare in the United States is very expensive. When a patient goes to see his doctor in hopes that he will get the necessary treatment. All doctors are patients advocates and care providers. It seems logic because the patients don’t have the necessary medical knowledge. With the pay-for-service system, the patient would request treatment and the doctor would deliver the best care for the patient. Sometimes the doctor may recommend a procedure that is more expensive that the alternative treatment available for the patient. The doctor in this role plays a bauble role. He recommends the patient to get the service that he provides. It is hard to know if the doctor acts on behalf of patient’s best interest or for his own financial gain.
Medicine, medical supplies, and medical treatment are multi-billion dollar industries crucial to the wellbeing of the public. Doctors and other members of the health-care industry do their best to provide excellent care for the nation’s sick and injured, while scientists and researchers work to develop new drugs and technologies to fight disease. We often view medical care as a basic human right; something that all persons, rich or poor, should have access to in times of need. But despite our notions of what healthcare should be, those who make a living in this industry, specifically owners of firms, must contend with the same economic questions facing businesses in any industry. To learn more about this vast service industry, I interviewed Dr. Martin Slez, a dentist/oral surgeon and owner of a medical practice that provides both general care and specialized treatments for oral diseases. Of the topics discussed, firm goals, pricing, costs, and technology stood out as particularly interesting and unique facets of the organization, as they differed considerably from those in other industries.