Ethics Opinions

Medical tourists may receive excellent care, but issues of safety and quality can arise: substandard surgical care, poor infection control, inadequate screening of blood products, and falsified or outdated medications can pose greater risks than patients would face at home; Medical tourism can leave home country physicians in problematic positions since patients may need follow-up when they return and records may be unavailable.

At the heart of medicine lie relationships founded in a “covenant of trust” between patient and physician in which physicians commit themselves to responding to the needs and promoting the welfare of patients.

Physicians have an ethical obligation to provide care in cases of medical emergency; Physicians must also uphold ethical responsibilities not to discriminate against prospective patients on the basis of personal or social characteristics that are not clinically relevant; Physicians are nevertheless not ethically required to accept all prospective patients.

The health and well-being of patients depends on a collaborative effort between patient and physician in a mutually respectful alliance.

Physicians individually and collectively share the obligation to ensure that the care patients receive is safe, effective, patient centered, timely, efficient, and equitable.

Physicians’ primary ethical obligation is to promote the well-being of individual patients includes an obligation to collaborate on a discharge plan that is safe for the patient.

Treating oneself or a member of one’s own family poses several challenges for physicians, including concerns about professional objectivity, patient autonomy, and informed consent.

Physicians who serve in a medical capacity at athletic, sporting, or other physically demanding events should protect the health and safety of participants.

Physicians enjoy the right to advocate for change in law and policy, in the public arena, and within their institutions; Physicians have an ethical responsibility to seek change when they believe the requirements of law or policy are contrary to the best interests of patients. However, they have a responsibility to do so in ways that are not disruptive to patient care.