Premium
Roles and Relationships
Author(s) -
Kaebnick Gregory E.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
hastings center report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.515
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1552-146X
pISSN - 0093-0334
DOI - 10.1002/hast.213
Subject(s) - bioethics , obligation , converse , engineering ethics , subject (documents) , psychology , moral obligation , work (physics) , political science , law , epistemology , philosophy , mechanical engineering , library science , computer science , engineering
One of the foundational thoughts in bioethics is that professional roles can generate special ethical obligations. Bioethics first emerged as an effort to understand the special ethical obligations of physicians and researchers. But bioethics now finds itself subject to a converse thought. Bioethicists engaged in clinical ethics consultations‐discussing patient care and decision‐making with physicians and others‐have a special ethical obligation toward patients and coworkers, and that obligation has generated a professional role, as it were. Clinical ethicists bear the obligation of ensuring that ethical standards for patient care are upheld, and since this work requires special skills and knowledge, clinical ethicists can be asked to demonstrate that they have what it takes and can bring it effectively to bear in consultations . The evolution of clinical ethical consultation is the topic of the lead article in this issue of the Report. The second article in this issue returns to that ur‐topic‐the ethical obligations of physicians and researchers .