MEDICAL ETHICS AND DEONTOLOGY
Medical ethics is a system of moral principles that applies values and judgments to medical practice, regulates cooperation among medical practitioners, as well as between doctors and patients. It is believed that the principles of medical ethics were first formulated by Hippocrates and presented in his famous oath (fig. 2.1).
Deontology (from Greek δέον, deon, 'Obligation, duty?) is one of normative theories regarding which choices are morally required, forbidden, or permitted. In medicine deontology is a study about health providers behavior which should create the most favorable conditions for patient's recovery.
The main goal of the doctor is to save human life and improve its quality by providing urgent, routine and preventive health care.
The 4th Conference of the Association of Physicians of Russia (November 1994) approved the Ethical Code of the Russian doctor. This document is based on the Hippocratic oath, the World Medical Association Ethics and the Laws of the Russian Federation on human rights and health care.
The Ethical Code of the Russian doctor covers the following issues:
1. Relations with patients and their relatives.
2. Medical confidentiality.
3. Care of terminal patients.
4. Relations in the medical community.
5. Patient participation in research.
RELATIONS WITH PATIENTS AND THEIR RELATIVES
1. All medical manipulation require patient's informed consent, except for special cases:
► the severity of physical or mental condition does not allow the patient to make a decision;
► the patient is dangerous for other people.
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Fig. 2.1. Hippocratic oath, twelfth-century Byzantine manuscript (Hippocratic Oath manuscript: Unknown scan used in book: Foto de la Biblioteca Vaticana scan from book: User: Rmrfstar - page 27 of Surgery: An Illustrated History by Ira M. Rutkow, M.D. published in 1993: ISBN 0801660785. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/ wiki/File:HippocraticOath.jpg#/media/File:HippocraticOath.jpg)