The Trusted Doctor

Common morality has been the touchstone of medical ethics since the publication of Beauchamp and Childress's Principles of Biomedical Ethics in 1979. Rosamond Rhodes challenges this dominant view by presenting an original and novel account of the ethics of medicine, one deeply rooted in the actual experience of medical professionals. She argues that common morality accounts of medical ethics are unsuitable for the profession, and inadequate for responding to the particular issues that arise in medical practice. Instead, Rhodes argues that medicine's distinctive ethics should be explained in terms of the trust that society allows to the profession. Trust is the core and starting point of Rhodes' moral framework, which states that the most basic duty of doctors is to "seek trust and be trustworthy."

Building from this foundation, Rhodes explicates the sixteen specific duties that doctors take on when they join the profession, and demonstrates how her view of these duties is largely consistent with the codes of medical ethics of medical societies around the world. She then explains why it is critical for physicians to develop the attitudes or "doctorly" virtues that comprise the character of trustworthy doctors and buttress physicians' efforts to fulfil their professional obligations. Her book's presentation of physicians' duties and the elements that comprise a doctorly character, together add up to a cohesive and comprehensive description of what medical professionalism really entails. Rhodes's analysis provides a clear understanding of medical professionalism as well as a guide for doctors navigating the ethically challenging situations that arise in clinical practice

Table of Contents

Dedication
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Why a New Approach to Medical Ethics Is Needed
Chapter 2: The Distinctive Ethics of Medicine
Chapter 3: Medicine's Core Responsibilities
Chapter 4: The Commitment to Science
Chapter 5: Behavior toward Patients
Chapter 6: Autonomy and Trust
Chapter 7: The Commitment to Truth
Chapter 8: Physicians' Commitments to Fellow Professionals
Chapter 9: The Commitment to Justice
Chapter 10: Additional Professional Virtues
Chapter 11: Resolving Ethical Dilemmas
Chapter 12: Why the Best Interest Standard Is Not Good
Chapter 13: Professional Responsibility and Claims of Conscientious Objection
Chapter 14: Concluding Thoughts
Appendix