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Medical Ethics : The Medical Code Of Ethics

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Medical ethics refers to the basic principles by which the medical profession conducts its works. Every person who enters the medical profession is governed by the profession’s established code of ethics (the principles of right and wrong). While there are laws that protect patients, the code of ethics makes even greater demands on those in this profession.

The medical code of ethics is based on the Oath of Hippocrates. Hippocrates, a Greek physician, is knowns as the father of medicine. The Oath of Hippocrates requires physicians to hold in reverence for those who have taught them and to pass on their education knowledge to others. It further requires physicians to use extreme care, to revere their patients and the practice of medicine itself, and to regard it as an art. The oath is administered to those who are about to receive a medical degree (Gladwell, 2007).

The American Medical Association (AMA) has established its own code of ethics that more clearly defines the ethics in terms of morality. The code addresses the respect and care that physicians and medical assistants must have for their patients, the law, the field of medicine, and the communities which they serve (American psychological Association, Washington, DC.). The code prescribes respect for the dignity of humanity, confidential information, and the high principles of the profession (Gross, 2005). It also requires medical doctors and assistants to improve on their

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