The Hippocratic Oath is a code of ethical conduct for medical professionals, named after the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates. It is traditionally taken by doctors and other healthcare professionals upon graduation from medical school, and serves as a pledge to uphold the highest standards of medical care and to put the well-being of their patients above all else.
In the United Kingdom, the Hippocratic Oath is not a legally binding document, but it is widely regarded as an important ethical guide for doctors and other healthcare professionals. Many medical schools and professional organizations in the UK require their students and members to take some form of the oath as a way of reaffirming their commitment to ethical conduct in the practice of medicine.
The wording of the Hippocratic Oath varies somewhat from one version to another, but all versions include a commitment to honesty, integrity, and compassion in the practice of medicine. The oath also typically includes a pledge to respect the autonomy of patients and to protect their confidentiality, as well as a commitment to maintain the highest standards of professional competence and to continue learning throughout one's career.
In the UK, the General Medical Council (GMC) is the professional regulatory body for doctors, and it sets out the ethical standards that all doctors in the country are expected to adhere to. These standards are set out in the GMC's Good Medical Practice guidance, which includes a code of conduct that is similar in many ways to the Hippocratic Oath. The GMC's code of conduct includes a commitment to put the interests of patients first, to respect their autonomy, and to protect their confidentiality. It also requires doctors to be honest and open with their patients, and to maintain their professional skills and knowledge through ongoing learning and development.
While the Hippocratic Oath is not a legally binding document in the UK, it remains an important symbol of the ethical standards that are expected of doctors and other healthcare professionals. By taking the oath, doctors and other professionals reaffirm their commitment to these standards and pledge to uphold them in the practice of medicine.
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Confidentiality The penultimate section deals with confidentiality and reads: "And about whatever I may see or hear in treatment, or even without treatment, in the life of human beings, I will remain silent, holding such things to be unutterable. I will seek to increase my understanding and skills, and promote the advancement of medicine as both a teacher and a learner. He who keeps to the oath is promised 'reputation among all men for my life and for my art'. Another equivalent phrase is found in Epidemics, Book I, of the Hippocratic school: "Practice two things in your dealings with disease: either help or do not harm the patient". Hippocratic Oath Summary The Hippocratic Oath is considered one of the oldest documents in history and was written sometime in the 4th or 5th century B. In the oath, proper treatment plans are to be followed and proper care is to be given. Johnson, a 15-year veteran of the Darien Police Department, is a U.
This includes topics like abortion, euthanasia, surrogacy, and the proper use of limited health resources. Nonetheless, the length of these documents has made their distillations into shorter oaths an attractive proposition. Many of its statements are universally agreed upon by doctors. Pledges of the oath must also swear to pass their knowledge down to the next generation of physicians and to treat all physicians as family. What Is the Hippocratic Oath? I will prevent crime whenever I can, for the absence of crime and disorder is preferable to the visible evidence of police action in dealing with them. It has been rewritten multiple times, and medical schools use different versions. Not all versions of the oath in current use align to all four principles.
Use of the Hippocratic or other professional oaths in UK medical schools in 2017: practice, perception of benefit and principlism
If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. A summary of the Oaths required in 19 medical schools is given in Table Full size table Various schools had adapted or written a version themselves, e. Celebrated in the ancient world, and later referred to by Arabic scholars, it offers medics guidance on how they should behave. East Anglia introduced the use of an Oath in 2015 at the suggestion of students. Components of the Oath The original oath starts by swearing on the Greek god Apollo to fulfill the oath. Lesson Summary The Hippocratic Oath is a sworn agreement made by physicians when they become doctors. How the oath is administered Most schools use verbal recitation of the oath at graduation, e.
His version of the oath is as follows: Covenant with people Swear before peers, teachers, family, and friends Covenant with students Pledge to impart the knowledge of medicine to others Covenant to patients Will follow correct treatment plans and provide proper care Purity and Holiness Pledge to never conduct patient research that is not authorized Confidentiality All patient information and treatment will be concealed Accountability If the oath is kept, blessings from the Almighty will be received, if broken the reverse will be true These two versions differ from each other in a few ways. Rather than rely on well-intentioned but outdated principles, they must call upon their experience and training, widely-accepted modern guidelines, the advice of mentors, and their personal sense of right and wrong to figure out what to do. One GP recounted the story of an elderly patient who believed the Oath instructed doctors never to tell patients the truth. A bust of the Greek physician Hippocrates, whom the Hippocratic Oath is attributed. In this lesson we're going to talk about what is found within the oath and its implications.
The Hippocratic Oath: The Original and Revised Version
Doctor—patient sexual relationships in medical oaths. If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. I will remember that I do not police an act or behavior, but a flawed human being, whose conduct may jeopardize their own future and that of their family. Ignoring this evidence base in favor of tradition or personal opinion is more than irresponsible; unscientific policing is unethical policing. Without this trust, patients may withhold facts that would help the doctor make an accurate diagnosis. The New England Journal of Medicine. In 1995, As of 2018 all US medical school graduates made some form of public oath but none used the original Hippocratic Oath.
Third, the Code of Ethics rightfully speaks to protecting the weak and innocent while opposing unnecessary force and violence. It isn't a law but rather a guiding principle for doctors. I will reverence my master who taught me the art. Boston: Harvard Health Publications. Three approaches to qualitative content analysis.
May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help. Police must do the same. What might a police code of ethics designed around the Hippocratic Oath look like? What is the Hippocratic Oath? All nineteen osteopathic schools used the Osteopathic Oath. I am grateful to James Green for suggestions regarding the wording of the new Oath variant. The Code of Ethics is a rich document which many police organizations have incorporated into their policy manuals and oath of office ceremonies. BMC Res Notes 10, 777 2017.
In addition to containing information on medical matters, the collection embodied a code of principles for the teachers of The oath dictates the obligations of the physician to students of medicine and the duties of pupil to teacher. In this study only three schools did not use a form of the Hippocratic Oath and one of these was considering introducing a variant in the near future. I will care for all patients equally and not allow prejudice to influence my practice. Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences. The Hippocratic Oath is a medical oath for doctors and is generally taken at medical school graduation ceremonies.
Some physicians could view these treatments as proper care, while some may disagree. Retrieved 20 September 2014. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick. As such, it should take into account the particular circumstances and wishes of the dying, including their desire to bring about their own death before submitting to a terminal illness. Here is a brief guide to the Oath.
Hippocratic Oath The Oath continues: "And I will use treatments for the benefit of the ill in accordance with my ability and my judgment, but from what is to their harm and injustice I will keep them. National Library of Medicine - NIH. I will reflect on my practice and recognise my limits. The modern or revised version of Hippocratic Oath is: The Revised Hippocratic Oath "I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant: I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow. Instead, the patient must administer and ingest the drug on his own.
