SUMMARY

Summary on the 6th edition of The American College of Physicians Ethics Manual



Summary on the 6th edition of The American College of Physicians Ethics Manual

Introduction

Since the first ACP Ethics Manual was published in 1984, these manuals often have been cited in medical and ethical literature, and are in widespread use by physicians other than their intended audience of internists. The ACP Ethics, Professionalism, and Human Rights Committee developed this latest update to the fifth edition, which was published in 2005, noting that medicine, law, and social values are not static. However, the committee also noted that repeating ethical principles that have helped to resolve previous ethical problems may help physicians avoid problems in the future. Although the manual cannot substitute for the experience and integrity of individual physicians, it may shed light on the shared duties of the medical profession. New topics in the updated manual address the patient-physician relationship during health catastrophes, providing culturally sensitive care, use of human biologic materials in research, social media and online professionalism, industry sponsored research, and the challenges of taking care of so-called very important persons, such as those with a degree of fame or prestige.

Discussion

The sixth edition of The American College of Physicians (ACP) Ethics Manual has been published as an addition to the current issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, ACP's leading journal. The aim of the manual is to help the way ethical decisions in clinical teaching, practice, and medical research are made. Furthermore, the manual outlines and explains fundamental ethics principles, in addition to the role physicians play in society and with colleagues (McDaniel, 2010; Emanuel, 2012). New themes in the revised manual address use of human biologic materials in investigations, providing culturally sensitive care, social media and online professionalism, patient-physician relationship during health catastrophes, the challenges of looking after so-called VIPs (very important persons), such as individuals who are famous or prestige, and industry sponsored research.

Another topic covered for the first time in the updated manual is the challenges associated with offering care to "very important persons" experiencing unusual fame or prestige (Lyon & Mirivel, 2011; Emanuel, 2012). New or expanded sections also include treatment without interpersonal contact, confidentiality and electronic health records, therapeutic nondisclosure, caring for oneself or persons with whom the physician has a previous nonprofessional relationship, boundaries and privacy, pay-for-performance, interrogation, attending physicians and physicians-in-training, the patient-centered medical home, protection of human subjects, placebo controls, and scientific publication (Torres & De Vries, 2009; Emanuel, 2012).

In addition, topics in previous editions are revisited, such as research ethics, physician-assisted suicide, end-of-life care, physician-industry relations, complementary and alternative medicine, and genetic testing (Fisher, 2007). The ACPs Ethics, Professionalism, and Human Rights Committee developed the manual, which was approved in July 2011 by ACP's Board of Regents.

Physicians have a responsibility to practice effective and efficient health care and to use health care resources responsibly (Caldicott & Danis, 2009; Emanuel, 2012). According to the updated ethics manual, physicians should consider preserving health care resources for the population at ...