Ethics Governance
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| Article - Abstract. To view full article click on the article title. | |
eMJA: Communication and courtesy between medical professionals The golden rule is to treat your fellow medicos as you would wish to be treated When I was a medical student in the 1950s, we learned about medical etiquette, which our teachers then confused with medical ethics. There were rules governing the relationships between doctors, especially about “pinching” each other’s patients. And consultants were supposed to meet the patient and his or her general practitioner and give an opinion, not take over the patient. Being asked to treat a colleague, or a member of their family, was regarded as the ultimate professional accolade, and charging a fee was not an option. The same principles applied to nurses, medical students and clergy. Since then, the organisation of medical practice has become more complex. There are many more doctors and specialties. Doctors involved in the care of a patient may not know each other, or even understand each other’s main task or daily work. Some do not even trust each other. For example, recommendations in radiology and pathology reports for further, more expensive tests are in most cases sound medicine, but, in areas of medicolegal phobia or fierce competition, some GPs are sceptical of the underlying reasons. They forget that two minds are usually better for patient safety than one, and see themselves as the patient’s personal doctor who knows what is good for that patient. Full Article: http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/183_11_051205/kam10874_fm.html |
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2006 Ethics-Governance.com |
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