“Make a habit of two things: to help; or at least to do no harm.” These wise words were once spoken from the ancient Greek philosopher, Hippocrates. He also spoke more words of wisdom within the Hippocratic Oath which is one of the most essential documents that all doctors are to obey. The Hippocratic Oath states that doctors can not bring harm to those who are ill. Physicians are also required to maintain confidentiality and are responsible to be honest with their patients. Although, some doctors may not uphold the Hippocratic Oath with much respect, this ancient document should continue to be declared by all physicians.
The Hippocratic Oath was well-known for protecting the lives of people. The original form blatantly bans both the
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It’s an obvious contradiction for a doctor, who’s main job is to help heal, to assist in ending the life of a patient. For the physician, human lives command high esteem and appreciation. The Hippocratic Oath truly displays the purity and holiness of each life that is need. (Kass).
Another vital piece of information from the Hippocratic Oath is confidentiality. According to Katherine Brooks, “Doctors are given a solemn promise that they are to maintain confidentiality and are to never gossip about a patient. It’s crucially important for doctors and patients to have confidentiality.” This builds a bond of trust between the two. The original source of a doctor’s duty of confidentiality is the Hippocratic Oath. Regarding confidentiality, the Greek philosopher Hippocrates stated: “Whatever, in connection with my professional practice or not in connection with it, I see or hear in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken of abroad, I will not divulge, as reckoning that all such should be kept secret” (Brooks).
Although, a physician is not allowed to breach confidentiality on his own terms, there are still legitimate exceptions. According to
doctor takes an oath that he or she will do everything in their power to keep a patient alive. But
The Hippocratic oath (document4) is an oath all doctors take to this day. It is a pledge that all doctors take to promise that they intend on giving their patients the greatest care possible. The oath asks doctors to vow that they will be honest and confidential with their patients “I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice. I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it nor will I make a suggestion to this effect… Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice….
Throughout the history of medicine there has always been a need for shared commitment to ideals of moral, ethical and humane practice. The Hippocratic Oath, created by a compilation of works largely based on Hippocrates, has always stood as guidelines for the conduct of physicians. The Classical oath has and continues to serve well in preserving the sanctity of the medical profession while developing a basis for the respectful treatment of patients. However, this out-dated oath is not equipped to handle the modern trials and tribulations faced by physicians and health care in general. Many of its principles are simply unrealistic and inapplicable in today’s society. For this reason a revised version of the oath was written. As I will
After ensuring the preservation of medicinal practices and knowledge, the consequences of it are realized through guiding ideas. The Hippocratic Oath affirms, “I will keep [my patients] from harm and injustice.” Doctors swear by contributing to the wellbeing of patients, ignoring the various personal effects of ego, sexual interest and human tendency to gossip. Doctors must be able to admit to inability in order to make sound judgements. This would mean diagnosis to the best of their ability, and nothing beyond their ability: “I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment" (Hippocrates). The oath calls on doctors not to abuse their societal power or fall prey to their desires: “I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations" (Hippocrates). The oath further protects the patient’s emotional wellbeing by restricting the doctor from disclosing details surrounding the patient’s physical condition. The oath makes clear, “What I may see or hear in the course of the treatment or even outside of the treatment in regard to the life of men, which on no account one must spread abroad, I will keep to myself, holding such things shameful to be spoken about" (Hippocrates). With the words “In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art"
The Hippocratic Oath is an oath that each physician swears to upon graduating from medical school. Essentially, the oath is a proclamation by the newly licensed doctor to only help people and a promise not to harm
Confidentiality in the Healthcare arena can be simply defined as the moral and ethical duty of the Practitioner to keep all the patient’s bio-data under lock and key, and offer a disclosure of those facts that the patient is legally mandated to disclose or deems fit to enhance their positive health outcome. According to the Segen’s Medical Dictionary, “Confidentiality is the ethical principle that a physician may not reveal any information disclosed in the course of medical care, unless the patient who disclosed that information poses a threat to him, herself or others’’
Elite groups and associations have developed creeds or oaths throughout history. Doctors, lawyers, Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, and knights all aspire to hold to their directives. These oaths outline a set of values, and a code of conduct by which the group’s initiates are expected to hold. The oaths taken by these warrior classes are important for trust between members that, in grave circumstances, a behavior in accordance with high standards is to be expected. On a different professional level, a lawyer’s or doctor’s oath is to the people they serve. These oaths serve to instill confidence in the professional-to-patient relationship by establishing a standard of professional accountability within their respective fields. The Hippocratic Oath is purported to be a foundation for ethics and the practice of medicine. Though it exists in different versions, depending on the institution, the general themes and function remain the same (Markel). Any oath taken is meant to elevate the level of expectations for services rendered. In practice, however, especially in cases of medical oaths, it appears that the oaths are ceremonial and apparently obsolete. A survey conducted in 2012 noted that very few physicians had better than a rudimentary knowledge of the content of The Hippocratic Oath (Jhala and Jhala 279). If the Hippocratic Oath or any oath is intended to be the moral and ethical compass for physicians, it should be taken with an enforceable level of accountability and
Although all honorable doctors do their best to uphold the Hippocratic Oath, doctors unwittingly go against it when they emotionally detach themselves from their patients; therefore, they create unintended harm.
Included in the Hippocratic Oath, the Declaration of Geneva, and the American Medical Association’s articulations of the responsibilities of a physician, include the phrases “free from harm”, “health of the patient first consideration” and “obligation to relieve pain and suffering”.
The prohibition against killing patients stands as the first promise of self-restraint sworn to in the Hippocratic Oath, as medicine's primary interdict: 'I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect' In renouncing the giving of lethal drugs when asked for it, the Hippocratic physician rejects the view that the patient's choice for death can make killing him right.
1. Attention Material: The Hippocratic Oath proclaims “I will keep the sick from harm and injustice. I will
In the medical field or any other professions, privacy is paramount. One of the most important things is confidentiality. In this case, patients should be able to trust that they treating physicians will not disclose their personal information to other parties without their consent. The question then becomes: Under what circumstances is it alright for physicians to disclose private medical information to third party without informed consent? Did Dr. Shapiro have the right to disclose Mr. Lovington’s private medical information to his wife Anna, who is also his patient?
A doctor takes an oath that he or she will do everything in their power to keep a patient alive. But they also take an oath that they will do whatever is in the best interest of their patient.
Even in modern medicine today, his code of conduct is used and greatly widened to more than the six rules he created. His contribution to the medical world has been the stable structure for the AMA to build on and work with more and more today. Hippocrates and his work has helped shape modern medicine today and set them up for success. The oath left many moral rules to be followed and has been carried over to the AMA to this day. According to Fabrice Jotterland, "The Hippocratic Oath and the Ethics of Medicine, are employed as heuristics, so as to throw into better light the extent to which the Hippocratic Oath, tradition, and ethics can provide guidance and direction, as well as to show the nessecity of taking seriously the need for a substantive philosphy of medicine.
The Hippocratic Oath is extremely important because doctors today still use it every day in hospitals