Medical Ethics Today. The BMA’s Handbook of Ethics and Law

Abstract

‘Medical ethics’ is one subset of the broader disciplines of ‘healthcare ethics’ and ‘bioethics’. It overlaps with both but focuses on the duties of doctors. The original Greek and Latin expressions for ‘ethics’ and ‘morals’ conveyed the same idea of a code of conduct acceptable to a particular group. Nowadays, ‘ethics’ can either meanconformingto recognised standards of practice or describe the general study of morality. The distinction is important. Traditionally, professional ethics was what doctors defined for themselves, from their own perspective. Their duty was to work to the standards established by their peers and avoid any action that would bring the profession into disrepute. Ethics, in this sense, has always been a central concern ofmedicine. Doctors were expected to observe the duty to provide ‘benefit’ to the sick, respect confidentiality and demonstrate integrity. Such values, often labelled ‘Hippocratic’, are echoed in the writings of philosopher-physicians in all cultures. Through history, professional codes called on doctors to adhere to such virtues which, by constant repetition, became seen as part of what it is to be a doctor. Such traditional concepts remain relevant because doctors generally want solutions that not only make logical and legal sense, but also do not contravene their intuitions about the core purpose of medicine.