Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at IIT

Because of their specialised knowledge and expertise, doctors have a professional responsibility to maintain and improve the health of their patients who, either in a vulnerable state of illness or for the maintenance of their health, entrust themselves to medical care.

Over the centuries, doctors have held to a body of ethical principles developed primarily to guide their behaviour towards patients, their professional peers and society. The Hippocratic Oath was an initial expression of such a code. These codes of ethics guide doctors to promote the health and well being of their patients and prohibit doctors from behaving, if opportunities arise, in their own self interest.

The Australian Medical Association accepts the responsibility for setting the standard of ethical behaviour expected of all doctors. The Australian Medical Association Code of Ethics represents the core of fundamental principles which should guide doctors in their professional conduct.

Advancing the scope of medical management brings with it new and challenging ethical problems. The Ethics and Professional Conduct Comittee of the Australian Medical Association will address these issues and provide revisions of the AMA Code of Ethics from time to time, as appropriate.

THE DOCTOR AND THE PATIENT

Standards of Care

Practise the science and art of medicine to the best of your ability and within the limits of your expertise.

Continue self education to improve your personal standards of medical care.

Evaluate your patient completely and thoroughly, maintain accurate contemporaneous clinical records.

Ensure that doctors and other health professionals who assist in the care of your patient are properly qualified and fully competent to carry out the care.

Respect for Patients

Ensure that your professional conduct is above reproach.

Do not exploit your patient for sexual, emotional or financial reasons.

Treat your patient with compassion and respect for human dignity.

Responsibilities to Patients

Do not deny treatment to any patient on the basis of colour, race, religion, political beliefs or nature of illness.

Respect your patient's right to choose their doctor freely, to acceptor reject advice and to make their own educated decisions about treatment or procedures.

To enable them to make decisions, educate your patient about the nature of any illness from which they are known to suffer, the probable causes and the available treatments, together with their likely benefits and risks.

In general, keep in confidence information derived from your patient, or from a colleague regarding your patient, and divulge it only with the patient's permission, except when a court demands.

Recommend only those diagnostic procedures which seem necessary to assist in the care of your patient and only that therapy which seems necessary for their well being,

Recommend to your patient that additional opinions and services be obtained when treatment is not within your expertise.

Upon request by your patient, make available to another doctor a report of your findings and treatment.

Continue to provide services for an acutely ill patient until your services are no longer required, or until the services of another suitable doctor have been obtained.

When a personal moral judgment or religious conscience alone prevents the recommendation of some form of therapy, inform your patient so that they may seek alternative care.

Recognise that an established relationship between doctor and patient has a value, which dictates that it should not be disturbed without compelling reasons.

Recognise that you may refusals treat a patient only in non-emergency situations, where the patient is given adequate notice of this intention and alternative care is reasonably available. However, the first rule under "Responsibilities to Patients" cannot be overridden.

Be responsible in setting an appropriate value on your services, and consider the personal service rendered when determining any fee.

Where possible, ensure that your patient is aware of your fees. Be prepared to discuss fees with your patient.

Do not refer patients to institutions or services in which you have a financial interest without full disclosure of such interest.

Clinical Research

Where possible, accept a responsibility to further medical progress by participating in properly developed clinical research studies involving human subjects.

Before participating in such studies, ensure that a responsible independent committee appraises the scientific merit of the clinical research, and that an institutional ethics committee evaluates its ethical implications.

Recognise that the well being of subjects always takes precedence over the interests of science or society.

Obtain prior consent of all research subjects or their agents, but only after explaining the purpose of the clinical research and any reasonably foreseen health hazards.

Worm treating doctors of the involvement of their patients in any research project, the nature of the project and its ethical basis.

Recognise that subjects should be allowed to a study at any time.

Do not allow a refusal to participate at any stages interfere with the doctor-patient relationship or appropriate treatment and care.

Protect the right of doctors to trial, and subjects new drug or treatment which may offer reasons saving life, re-establishing health or alleviating all such cases, fully inform subjects about the drug including the new or unorthodox nature of where applicable.

Ensure that research results are communicated recognised scientific channels to enable an in within the profession to establish an opinion on the results and their balanced presentation to

Clinical Teaching

Pass on your professional knowledge and skkills to jonior colleagues.

Before embarking on any clinical teaching involve explain the nature of the teaching methods a patient's agreement.

Do not allow a refusal to participate in teaching with the doctor-patient relationship.

In any teaching exercise, ensure that your patient the best proven diagnostic and therapeutic met your patient's comfort and dignity are maintaied

The Dying Patient

Always bear in mind the obligation of preserveing but, allow death to occur with dignity and comfort, is deemed to be inevitable and where curative appears to be futile.

Transplantation

Accept that when brain death has occurred (defined as the irreversible cessation of all functioning of the including brain stein, unless otherwise defined cellular life in the body may be supported if some parts of the body may be used to prolong life or to improve other people.

Recognise the responsibility to provide to the do relatives a full disclosure of the intent to transplant organs, the purpose of the procedure and, in the case donor, the risks of the procedure.

Ensure that the determination of the time of death of any donor patientis made by doctors who are in no way concerned with the transplant procedure or associated with the proposed recipient in a way that may exert any influence upon existance made.