Code of Ethics for Medical Professionals

The goal of medical professionals is to return a patient to a normal state of health. In attempting to do this, a medical professional might take steps, while attempting to help a patient, that appear to be helpful but which might have a negative effect, as well. Medical professionals are human, and they make mistakes like any other person. To help all professionals, and patients, there are medical codes of ethics.

Types

• The American Medical Association (AMA) publishes a Code of Medical Ethics, which contains general procedures and information. But there are also more specific codes, such as Ethics for Emergency Physicians, published by the American College of Emergency Physicians. There is also a Code of Ethics for Healthcare Professionals, produced by the National Association for Healthcare Quality. And
  there are unofficial codes, such as Become Healthy Now's Code of Conduct.

Features

• Official or unofficial, a medical ethics code will contain a statement of dedication towards providing adequate and competent care. Part of this competency is maintaining a level of professionalism and honesty while helping patients and patient's families, and while working with colleagues and other professionals. Another general feature of the code is to uphold all state and federal laws pertaining to every aspect of health care. A physician should also keep updated on medical advances pertaining to her field. And a physician should be dedicated to providing, or supporting the access to, care for all people, within and outside the local community.

Considerations

• The AMA has updated its Code of Medical Ethics three times since 1957, the last revision taking place in 2001. And so, in considering a hospital, care provider or physician, it is important to ask if the newest revision is being used.

Benefits

• As the AMA has updated its codes three times in less than 50 years in an effort towards providing improved health care, medical mistakes or errors can still occur. And this is why the AMA's codes, or any other organization's, are so important: these codes can be reviewed and known by the patient just as well as the physician.

Potential

• Medical codes of ethics have been common in the United States for more than 50 years. But it has not been until recently, with the development of Internet services, that these codes have been open to the public in a free, widely accessible form. Now, whenever the AMA or any other organization makes a revision to its codes, the public can be informed as quickly as the physicians.