"One main purpose of medical ethics is to analyze the practice of clinical medicine and related scientific research."
The study of ethical issues related to healthcare, such as patient privacy and informed consent.
Autonomy: The right of patients to make decisions for themselves regarding their medical treatment and care.
Beneficence: The principle of doing what is best for the patient, and promoting their well-being.
Non-maleficence: The principle of doing no harm, and avoiding actions or treatments that could cause harm to the patient.
Justice: The principle of fairness in healthcare, including access to care, allocation of resources, and distribution of benefits and burdens.
Confidentiality: The duty to maintain patient privacy and protect their personal health information.
Informed consent: The process of obtaining a patient's voluntary agreement to undergo medical treatment or participate in research.
End-of-life care: The ethical issues surrounding decision-making and care for patients who are nearing the end of their lives.
Reproductive technology: The ethical considerations of assisted reproductive technologies, including in vitro fertilization and surrogacy.
Genetic testing and counseling: The ethical issues of genetic testing and counseling, including confidentiality, privacy, and the use of genetic information in decision-making.
Clinical research: The ethical considerations of conducting and participating in clinical research, including informed consent, risk-benefit assessment, and protection of vulnerable populations.
Medical errors and malpractice: The ethical and legal issues surrounding medical errors, patient safety, and malpractice.
Healthcare access and disparities: The ethical issues surrounding access to healthcare, including disparities in healthcare access and resources.
Personal and professional boundaries in healthcare: The ethical issues surrounding maintaining boundaries between healthcare professionals and patients.
"These values include the respect for autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice."
"It is important to note that these four values are not ranked in order of importance or relevance."
"Such tenets may allow doctors, care providers, and families to create a treatment plan and work towards the same common goal."
"A conflict may arise leading to the need for hierarchy in an ethical system, such that some moral elements overrule others with the purpose of applying the best moral judgment to a difficult medical situation."
"The Hippocratic Oath, The Declaration of Helsinki, and The Nuremberg Code are well-known and respected documents contributing to medical ethics."
"Roe v. Wade in 1973 marked an important development in medical ethics."
"The development of hemodialysis in the 1960s was an important milestone in the history of medical ethics."
"New techniques for gene editing aiming at treating, preventing and curing diseases raise important moral questions about their applications in medicine and treatments as well as societal impacts on future generations."
"These techniques remain controversial due to their association with eugenics."
"The focus remains on fair, balanced, and moral thinking across all cultural and religious backgrounds around the world."
"The field of medical ethics encompasses both practical application in clinical settings and scholarly work in philosophy, history, and sociology."
"Medical ethics encompasses beneficence, autonomy, and justice as they relate to conflicts such as euthanasia, patient confidentiality, informed consent, and conflicts of interest in healthcare."
"Different cultures implement ethical values differently, sometimes placing more emphasis on family values and downplaying the importance of autonomy."
"This leads to an increasing need for culturally sensitive physicians and ethical committees in hospitals and other healthcare settings."
"Medical ethics is particularly relevant in decisions regarding involuntary treatment and involuntary commitment."
"The Hippocratic Oath discusses basic principles for medical professionals and dates back to the fifth century BCE."
"The field of medical ethics encompasses practical application in clinical settings as well as scholarly work in philosophy."
"New techniques for gene editing raise important moral questions about their applications in medicine and treatments as well as societal impacts on future generations."
"Ethical committees play a role in addressing culturally sensitive issues and ethical conflicts in hospitals and other healthcare settings."