Question

Describe physician's moral responsibilities to his or her patients ( e.g., privacy, informed consent)

Answer 1

Medical ethics is an applied branch of ethics which analyzes the practice of clinical medicine and related scientific research.

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.

Principles of biomedical ethics :-

There are four basic moral principles -

1. Respect for autonomy – the patient has the right to refuse or choose their treatment.

2. Beneficence– a practitioner should act in the best interest of the patient.

3. Non-maleficence– to not be the cause of harm. Also, "Utility" – to promote more good than harm.

4.Justice – concerns the distribution of scarce health resources, and the decision of who gets what treatment.

CONSENT:-

It is an act of voluntary agreement between two parties; in medical care, it is the patient and the doctor. The consent is of two types.

1.IMPLIED CONSENT:-

The consent is not written, when a patient submits to health care agencies for medical examination or treatment. Patient attending the OPD of the hospital for consultation and treatment does not require written consent unless some complicated procedures are performed.

2.INFORMED CONSENT:-

It may be oral or written, mostly written for future references. Informed means that the patient or his/her attendant understands the mode of treatment or procedure, and only after understanding it fully, the patient or attendant has signed. The legal age for giving consent in India is 12 years. In sterilization, all consents should be taken from the partner also.

Essential Elements of Informed Consent are-

1. Description of the research and the role of the participant, including an explanation of all procedures relevant to the participant
2. Description of reasonably foreseeable risks
3. Description of expected benefits
4. Alternatives to participation, such as other studies or services in the area
5. Explanation of confidentiality
6. Explanation of compensation for injuries or health problems resulting from participation in the study
7. Whom to contact about the research if the participant has questions or concerns
8. Explanation that participation is voluntary

CONFIDENTIALITY:-

Confidentiality is commonly applied to conversations between doctors and patients. This concept is commonly known as patient-physician privilege. Legal protections prevent physicians from revealing their discussions with patients, even under oath in court.

Confidentiality is also challenged in cases involving the diagnosis of a sexually transmitted disease in a patient who refuses to reveal the diagnosis to a spouse, and in the termination of a pregnancy in an underage patient, without the knowledge of the patient's parents.

PRIVACY AND THE INTERNET:-

In increasing frequency, medical researchers are researching activities in online environments such as discussion boards and bulletin boards, and there is concern that the requirements of informed consent and privacy are not applied, although some guidelines do exist.

Healthcare institutions' websites have the responsibility to ensure that the private medical records of their online visitors are secure from being marketed and monetized into the hands of drug companies, occupation records, and insurance companies.