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A model for teaching medical ethics.

The approach to teaching employed in the Dictionary of Medical Ethics (1) provides a model which might be adopted in other media. Most of the 150 authors were medical, but many represented other disciplines, and they wrote for similar professionals and for the general public. Medical ethics is derived from medical science and practice, moral philosophy, sociology, theology, the law and other disciplines, all of which make essential, distinctive and complementary contributions to knowledge and to teaching. Medical practitioners must play the primary role, because they are responsible for clinical ethical decisions, but they need the co-operation and guidance of others. All who are concerned should work towards the development of a general moral consensus among the profession and public, which keeps abreast of scientific and technical advances and to which all are committed.

Dictionaries as Topic↗

Medical moralising.

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Book Reviews as Topic↗

American medical literary firsts, 1700--1820, in the Countway Library.

A combination of two major collections, those of the Harvard Medical and the Boston Medical Libraries, took place at a formal dedication of the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine in May of 1965. As a result of this unification the historian may now consult many significant primary source materials in one research collection in Boston. Many of these works are early imprints of medical Americana. This paper discusses twenty-four imprints, from 1700 to 1820, which were firsts of their kind in American medical literature. Presented are the first American medical publication, book, pharmacopeia, mortality statistics, anatomical illustrations, transactions of a medical society, medical journal, textbook of obstetrics, medical dictionary, textbook of medicine, and official pharmacopeia. Also discussed are the first works in this country on smallpox inoculation, scarlet fever, pleurisy, public health, medical education, medical ethics, the history of medicine, surgery, epidemiology, smallpox vaccination, dentistry, meningitis, and psychiatry. An exhibit of these items in the Countway Library is planned for the spring and summer of 1966.

History, 18th Century↗

[Life and achievements of professor Irena Norska-Borówka the 75th birthday anniversary].

The purpose of the publication is to present the life, scientifical and social activity of the eminent pediatrician prof. Irena Norska-Borówka. The biography is based on personal data, biographical notes published in medical dictionaries, scientific publications and opinions of scientific authorities. Prof. Irena Norska-Borówka was the President of Scientific Committee of the eight previous Congresses ECOMED in Tarnów, the creator of Ecological Section of Polish Physicians Society, Polish and World precursor of Environmental Pediatrics and the UNICER expert. She has more than 300 publications, including 50 monographies. She has been awarded the I-st stage Award of the Minister of Health and Social Care for the studies on congenital toxoplasmosis. She also received SAM Rector's Awards for the publications of environmental pollution influence on the children's health and creation in 1980 the first in Poland Neonatal Pathology Clinic with an Intensive Care Department. She has become the ethical authority for her students and doctors. She has been appreciated by Upper Silesian inhabitants for her scientific work and social activity towards children and youth.

Awards and Prizes↗

"Profession": a working definition for medical educators.

PURPOSE: To provide a working definition of professionalism for medical educators. SUMMARY: Thus far, the literature has not provided a concise and inclusive definition of the word profession. There appears to be a need for one as a basis for teaching the cognitive aspects of the subject and for evaluating behaviors characteristic of professionals. Furthermore, a knowledge of the meaning of the word is important as it serves as the basis of the contract between medicine and society, and hence, of the obligations required of medicine to sustain the contract. A definition is proposed based on the Oxford English Dictionary and the literature on the subject. It is suggested that this can be useful to medical educators with responsibilities for teaching about the professions, professional responsibilities, and professional behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed definition is as follows: Profession: An occupation whose core element is work based upon the mastery of a complex body of knowledge and skills. It is a vocation in which knowledge of some department of science or learning or the practice of an art founded upon it is used in the service of others. Its members are governed by codes of ethics and profess a commitment to competence, integrity and morality, altruism, and the promotion of the public good within their domain. These commitments form the basis of a social contract between a profession and society, which in return grants the profession a monopoly over the use of its knowledge base, the right to considerable autonomy in practice and the privilege of self-regulation. Professions and their members are accountable to those served and to society.

Canada↗

Advocacy: exploring the concept.

The concept of the nurse as the patient's advocate is one that has become popular in the last fifteen years or so in both North America and the United Kingdom, having its basis in nursing theory. The UKCC first embraced the concept, stating in the Code of Professional Conduct that nurses must; 'act always in such a manner so as to promote and safeguard the interests and well being of patients and clients'. This is a laudable principle and one that nurses cannot dispute as there are many members of our society who are weak and vulnerable and may be unable to speak up for themselves. But are nurses always in a position to be an advocate for their patients? As the nature of nursing is so diverse then the nature of advocacy will be different in the multifarious settings in which nurses practise. Can theatre nurses ever be in a position to act as an advocate for a patient who is often anaesthetised? What precisely is advocacy and is the Concise Oxford Dictionary definition of 'one who pleads for another' appropriate in the nursing context? Then there is the position of nurses in the healthcare organisation in which they practise. In advocating for their patients, nurses may find they are pleading a case for a patient, or a group of patients, that could bring the nurse into conflict with their medical colleagues or with the management of the organisation by whom they are employed. Additionally, they may not posses the skills and knowledge to advocate effectively under such circumstances. Nursing is littered with the casualties of such conflicts over the years, the most publicised of whom, in the UK, was probably Graham Pink who lost his job as a charge nurse after drawing public attention to what he considered to be an unacceptable standard of care in the hospital in which he worked.

Clinical Competence↗

Limits of fetal viability and its enhancement.

According to Websters Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, viable of a fetus it means having reached such a stage of development as to be capable of living, under normal conditions, outside the uterus. Viability exists as a function of biomedical and technological capacities, which are different in different parts of the world. As a consequence, there is, at the present time, no worldwide, uniform gestational age that defines viability. Viability is not an intrinsic property of the fetus because viability should be understood in terms of both biological and technological factors. It is only in virtue of both factors that a viable fetus can exist ex utero and thus later achieve independent moral status. Moreover, these two factors do not exist as a function of the autonomy of the pregnant woman. When a fetus is viable, that is, when it is of sufficient maturity so that it can survive into the neonatal period and later achieve independent moral status given the availability of the requisite technological support, and when it is presented to the physician, the fetus is a patient. In the United States viability presently occurs at approximately 24 weeks of gestational age (Chervenak, L.B. McCullough; Textbook of Perinatal Medicine, 1998). In Portugal, the mortality increase significantly with GA<25 weeks. At 25 weeks mortality was 44.4% and at 26 weeks was 24.4% (I. Macedo et al. Matemidade Dr. Alfredo da Costa, Lisbon, 2000). In Poland during last years we observe also a very significant decrease of perinatal mortality. There are several aspects of fetal viability: ethical, social, psychological and medical. Ethical aspects There is a compelling conceptual and clinical reason to reject Primum non nocere as the primary principle of perinatal ethics; virtually all medical interventions involve unavoidable risks of harm, for example, amniocentesis. If Primum non nocere were to be made the primary principle of perinatal ethics, virtually all of perinatal medicine would be unethical. Social aspects Greatly increased advances in perinatal medicine lead on one hand to a high quality of care expected and demanded by both the health care professionals and patients, but on the other hand the resources available for responding to the expectations and demands are becoming increasingly stretched. Even in the high-income countries, the available resources are scarce in relation to these demands a high quality of care expected and demanded by both the health care professionals and patients, but on the other hand the resources available for responding to the expectations and demands are becoming increasingly stretched. Medical aspects During the preconceptional period the most important actions are: family planning, education, analysis of previous obstetrical miscarriages and prevention of congenital malformations (folic acid). Pregnancy presents several problems, which can significantly influence fetal viability. Proper management of these problems can improve perinatal outcome. Among others prevention of prematurity is the most important goal of contemporary perinatal medicine. Enhancement of fetal viability There are several possibilities to enhance fetal viability. The most important are: organization of perinatal care, introduction of new technologies to perinatal medicine, intensive fetal therapy and early detection of fetal distress. Three levels system of perinatal care, transport in utero, introduction and promotion of new methods, continues education of staff are characteristic for the modern organization of perinatal medicine. Echocardiography, Color Doppler Energy, 3D sonography, prenatal diagnosis (cordocentesis, analysis of fetal cells in maternal blood,.), fetal pulse oximetry, mathematical analysis of the signal are the methods which should be used at the highest level of perinatal care. Today, the prospect of survival is only about 1 in 10 at 23 weeks, and if the child lives it is more likely to be handicapped that not. At 24 weeks the chance of a normal survivor is about 50%, and after this the odds are in favor of a normal survivor. Considering this data, intensive care should be an optional choice for fetuses at 23 and 24 weeks of gestation and should be offered to every fetus at 25 weeks or more.

Ethics, Medical↗