- Share This Post
- submit
- 5
-
Sparkle (0)
I was in the doctor’s office. There was no nurse or attendant to act as a witness. The doctor spent a great deal of time examining my breasts. I wasn’t sure it was necessary but he had a white coat, a stethoscope and a degree on the wall. He kept going over my areolas and examining my nipples. The room was cold. I was uncomfortable.
Finally he told me to put my blouse back on and wait in the next room. I was confused, did something just happen or is it my imagination?
As I sat in the waiting room, I felt ickier by the second. I grabbed my handbag and ran out of the place. I kept searching my mind to find out what I had said or indicated to him that he could do that kind of thing. Worse, I didn’t feel I had the right to tell him he was way out of line.
The reality of course is that I had done nothing wrong. I was programmed to trust the situation. I had been told that doctors can do no wrong. He was a man with a medical license AND he was a creep. These days I bring my distrust through the door with me, ask questions and have primarily female physicians, if possible.
Why Do We Need Medical Ethics?
We need a common ground of acceptable and responsible behavior, particularly in a setting where humans may be required to expose themselves physically or emotionally. There has to be an understood foundation of trust, communication and respect.
Some people are having trouble with the concept. Denise Tanton in her post on Blogging for Choice briefly mentioned and provided a link to a story about a court case concerning a Nurse Practitioner who is charged with removed a patient IUD without consent. From the Courthouse News Service this is a little more of the story:
A clinic nurse first removed her intrauterine birth-control device without permission, the patient claims in a federal action, then told her that "having the IUD come out was a good thing," because "I personally do not like IUDs. I feel they are a type of abortion. I don't know how you feel about abortion, but I am against them."
Invasion of a person’s body autonomy, decision making abilities and disrespect for individual belief systems will have me searching for my invisible baseball bat. As I viewed the American Nursing Association Code of Ethics what this woman has allegedly done was a violation of the nursing ethics code, particularly section 2.2 where it talks about nurses dealing with conflicts of interests, both personal and professional.
If there was just one core ethical standard for the practice of medicine and providing heath care maybe our decisions would be easier. I regret to inform you that there isn’t one clear standard or code. There are dozen of them. For example, there is the World Medical Association’s International Code of Medical Ethics. This is a selection:
A PHYSICIAN SHALL always exercise his/her independent professional judgment and maintain the highest standards of professional conduct.
A PHYSICIAN SHALL respect a competent patient's right to accept or refuse treatment.
A PHYSICIAN SHALL not allow his/her judgment to be influenced by personal profit or unfair discrimination.
A PHYSICIAN SHALL be dedicated to providing competent medical service in full professional and moral independence, with compassion and respect for human dignity.
I like the Australian Medical Association Code of Ethics because they leave nothing to the imagination. Particularly these sections:
Ensure that doctors and other health professionals upon whom you call to assist in the care of your patients are appropriately qualified.
Make sure that you do not exploit your patient for any reason.Avoid engaging in sexual activity with your patient.
Refrain from denying treatment to your patient because of a judgement based on discrimination.
Respect your patient's right to choose their doctor freely, to accept or reject advice and to make their own decisions about treatment or procedures.
A stated code of practices or medical ethics reminds medical professionals that trust is given because of education, skills and the nature of the work. It is more of a goal . You want those medical professional to know the Hippocratic oath or their respective ethics code but it isn’t binding. Laws concerning
