Journal article
Rethinking medical oaths using the Physician Charter and ethical virtues
Medical education, Vol.52(8), pp.826-837
08/2018
DOI: 10.1111/medu.13581
PMID: 29700846
Abstract
Objective
Medical oaths express ethical values that are essential to the trust within the patient–physician relationship and medicine's commitment to society. However, the contents of oaths vary between medical schools and therefore raise questions about which ethical values should be included in a medical oath. More than a decade has passed since this variability was last analysed in North America, and since that time the Physician Charter on Medical Professionalism has gained considerable attention, raising the possibility that the Charter may be influencing medical oaths and making them more consistent.
Methods
The authors conducted a content analysis of 84 oaths available in 2015 from medical schools in the USA and Canada affiliated with the Association of American Medical Colleges, organising the content into three categories: (i) ethical values, (ii) principles and commitments in the Physician Charter, and (iii) ethical virtues.
Results
Only five ethical values were expressed in the majority of oaths (confidentiality, obligation to the profession, beneficence, avoiding discrimination, and honour and integrity), and respect for patient autonomy was uncommon. Only three of the Physician Charter's principles and commitments (primacy of patient welfare, social justice and confidentiality) and one virtue (honour and integrity) were reflected in the majority of oaths.
Conclusions
Medical oaths in North America appear to be highly variable in content. Greater attention to resources like the Physician Charter can help improve the ethical content and consistency of oaths across different institutions, and throughout their education medical students should be encouraged to discuss and reflect on the principles and virtues they will profess when they graduate.
Ethical values in medical oaths are found to be highly variable across medical schools, raising questions about why inconsistency exists and where it might offer benefit.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Rethinking medical oaths using the Physician Charter and ethical virtues
- Creators
- Alexander M Greiner - University of IowaLauris C Kaldjian - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Medical education, Vol.52(8), pp.826-837
- DOI
- 10.1111/medu.13581
- PMID
- 29700846
- ISSN
- 0308-0110
- eISSN
- 1365-2923
- Number of pages
- 12
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 08/2018
- Academic Unit
- General Internal Medicine; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984094385402771
Metrics
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