Between professional values, social regulations and patient preferences: medical doctors' perceptions of ethical dilemmas.
J Med Ethics
; 44(4): 239-243, 2018 04.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29151056
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
We present and discuss the results of a Norwegian survey of medical doctors' views on potential ethical dilemmas in professional practice.METHODS:
The study was conducted in 2015 as a postal questionnaire to a representative sample of 1612 doctors, among which 1261 responded (78%). We provided a list of 41 potential ethical dilemmas and asked whether each was considered a dilemma, and whether the doctor would perform the task, if in a position to do so. Conceptually, dilemmas arise because of tensions between two or more of four doctor roles the patient's advocate, a steward of societal interests, a member of a profession and a private individual.RESULTS:
27 of the potential dilemmas were considered dilemmas by at least 50% of the respondents. For more than half of the dilemmas, the anticipated course of action varied substantially within the professional group, with at least 20% choosing a different course than their colleagues, indicating low consensus in the profession.CONCLUSIONS:
Doctors experience a large range of ethical dilemmas, of which many have been given little attention by academic medical ethics. The less-discussed dilemmas are characterised by a low degree of consensus in the profession about how to handle them. There is a need for medical ethicists, medical education, postgraduate courses and clinical ethics support to address common dilemmas in clinical practice. Viewing dilemmas as role conflicts can be a fruitful approach to these discussions.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Médicos
/
Relações Profissional-Família
/
Atitude do Pessoal de Saúde
/
Direitos do Paciente
/
Ética
/
Preferência do Paciente
Aspecto:
Ethics
/
Patient_preference
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Med Ethics
Ano de publicação:
2018
Tipo de documento:
Article