Survey on Ethical Conduct Thresholds in Cardiologal Medical Practice in Argentina

The purpose of this study was to analyze the attitude of a group of cardiologists on the ethical conducts they would accept or adopt when encountered with different hypothetical situations of medical practice. Between August and September of 2011, 700 Argentine cardiologists were surveyed in situati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Developing world bioethics 2015-08, Vol.15 (2), p.68-75
Main Authors: Doval, Hernán C., Tajer, Carlos D., Borracci, Raúl A., Nuñez, Carmen, Samarelli, Marisa, Tamini, Susana
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Argentina
Attitude of Health Personnel
Bioethics
Cardiologists - economics
Cardiologists - ethics
Cardiology
Conflict
Conflict (Psychology)
Deontology
Doctor-patient relationship
Drug Industry - economics
Drug Industry - ethics
Education
Employment - economics
Employment - ethics
ethics of care
Ethics, Medical
Fees and Charges - ethics
Female
Health care
Health Care Surveys
Humans
Laboratories
Male
medical ethics
Medical practices
Middle Aged
patient
Patients
pharmaceutical
Pharmaceutical industry
Physician-Patient Relations - ethics
Physicians
Professionalism
Referral and Consultation - economics
Referral and Consultation - ethics
societal interpretation of ethics of care
Surveys
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Summary:The purpose of this study was to analyze the attitude of a group of cardiologists on the ethical conducts they would accept or adopt when encountered with different hypothetical situations of medical practice. Between August and September of 2011, 700 Argentine cardiologists were surveyed in situations which posed ethical dilemmas in the patient‐physician relationship, among colleagues or involving financial agreements with employers or the pharmaceutical industry. Ethical conflicts were evidenced in a series of inappropriate conducts such as differential fees, trips and meals sponsored by laboratories, splitting fees, overbilling, self‐referral, charging for patient referral, financial compensation for ordering medical procedures, and various situations derived from the relationship with employers. In general, financial compensation from the pharmaceutical industry was more accepted than the conflictive situations which directly involved patients, colleagues or employers. The rejection of these conducts, the physicians' deontological education and the improvement of financial and organizational conditions in medical practice will help to encourage better medical professionalism and avoid unseemly behaviors.
ISSN:1471-8731
1471-8847
DOI:10.1111/dewb.12025