Patient's code of ethics
1. Do
not expect your doctor to share your discomfort.
Involvement
with the patient's suffering might cause him to lose his valuable scientific
objectivity.
2. Be cheerful at all times.
Your doctor
leads a busy and trying life and requires all the gentleness and reassurance
he can get.
3. Try to suffer from the
disease for which you are being treated. Remember that your doctor has
a professional reputation to uphold.
4. Do not complain if the
treatment fails to bring relief.
You
must believe that your doctor has achieved a deep insight into the true
nature of your illness, which transcends any mere permanent disability
you may have experienced.
5. Never ask your doctor
to explain what he is doing or why he is doing it.
It is presumptuous
to assume that such profound matters could be explained in terms that you
would understand.
6. Submit to novel experimental
treatment readily.
Though
the surgery may not benefit you directly, the resulting research paper
will surely be of widespread interest.
7. Pay your medical bills
promptly and willingly.
You should consider it a privilege to contribute, however modestly, to
the well-being of physicians and other humanitarians. It is sheer
arrogance to contract illnesses that are beyond your means.
8. Never reveal any of the shortcomings
that have come to light in the course of treatment by your doctor.
The patient-doctor
relationship is a privileged one, and you have a sacred duty to protect
him from exposure.
9. Never die while in your doctor's
presence or under his direct care.
This will
only cause him needless inconvenience and embarrassment.
This piece came to us through a medical newsletter.
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