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Ethics in Medicine

In this week’s Discussion, you will explore how ethics applies to issues in medicine. Bioethics is a distinct subject that takes medical and biological issues and analyzes them using ethical reasoning and theory. The topics discussed in bioethics are varied but these issues impact your lives directly.

Confidentiality is both common sense and professional convention, per the Hippocratic Oath, in the sense “I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know” (Lasagna, 1964). It is an obligation not only of those who are called up to take the oath as a matter of course, but all healthcare professionals.

Are there instances in which private medical information should be revealed to others in order to protect individuals or the public from harm? Please explain your position using ethical reasoning and theories.

Lasagna, L. (1964). “Hippocratic Oath—Modern Version.” WGGH Educational Foundation for PBS and NOVA Online. Retrieved June 2, 2015 from the NOVA site: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.html