By: Kanedra Thaxton
One of the most important factors that you need to consider when deciding on if working in the medical field is right for you is the medical field code of ethics. A code of ethics from my understanding, is a list of rules that an organization creates that you must follow in order to be apart of that group or organization. According to the American Medical Association, there are nine principles that a physician must follow that are mainly for the benefit of the patient ( American Medical Association para.1). The fourth code of ethic states that, " A physician shall respect the rights of patients, colleagues, and other health professionals, and shall safeguard patient confidences and privacy within the constraints of the law" ( American Medical Association). This code is saying that all physicians should respect the privacy of their patients and not share or discuss their patients personal health information because in is against the law. The only time their information should be shared is if it is in a professional manner for the well- being of the patient.
The fourth code is also saying that a physician should respect their patients, colleagues, and other health professionals and this telling physicians to represent themselves in a professional manner at all times. I understand why this is a code because if doctors started to tell people about other people's health conditions it could cause confrontations. Also it could create trust issues between a physician and patient and generally a patient needs to be able to trust his/ her doctor so that they can be open about any problems that they are having. If I had any problems with my body I would not want my doctor to discuss that with any of my neighbors. If that was to happen I would not want to tell my doctor about health conditions that I am embarrassed about because I would not want that information shared with people around me. Therefore not trusting my doctor could put my health at risk.
I know that I have never had any experiences with my physician discussing my health conditions with anyone. I think that physicians follow this code very well because of the experiences that I have had and my friends as well. When I was in high school, the doctors always had to ask personal health related questions. My friends told me that their doctor would ask their parents to leave the room and then they would discuss personal questions that a teenager may not be comfortable with sharing with their parents. My doctor would turn her back towards my mom and talk low and ask me health related questions. I really liked when my doctor did that because it gave me a sense of security because my doctor would not discuss my business with my mother unless she had to. This shows how in society this principle is true and being used. As a professional I know that I will make sure that my patients feel the same security that I felt with my doctor. I see how effective and important this principle is and I will definitely be willing to work while following the fourth ethics code. If you are planning on going into the medical field this could help you to be a better physician. From knowing the ethics that will be required of you hopefully this post has helped you to understand why the principle used and the actual importance of the well-being of patients in the medical field.
References
American Medical Association. AMA Principles Of Medical Ethics. N.p.: American Medical Association, June 2016. PDF.<http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-ethics/code-medical-ethics.page> Accessed 16 Oct. 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment