OPINIONEthics -- a force every day in every aspect of medicineAMA Leader Commentary. By John C. Nelson, MD, MPH, Oct. 18, 2004. A message to all physicians from AMA President John C. Nelson, MD, MPH. When I talk with other physicians about the reasons I'm proud to be an AMA member, one of the first ideas to surface has to do with ethics. Medicine is rooted in ethics and ethical standards. In fact, part of the classic definition of a profession is to have a code of ethics to which all practitioners "profess" their allegiance. Far from sentences on a piece of paper filed away in someone's desk, ethics and ethical behavior are knitted into the everyday practices and procedures of medicine, into its education and training, into every stage in a physician's career, into a vital patient-physician trust relationship. Ethics, in that sense, is a living contract we have with individuals and society at large. In 1847, the American Medical Association came into being with the writing of our Code of Medical Ethics. Today, as we have since 1847, the AMA is pioneering ethical leadership in new ways. Three outstanding examples of new programs illustrate the AMA's continuing leadership:
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The doctors are in the house
The AMA's House of Delegates is holding its Interim Meeting Nov. 7-10 in Houston, addressing issues such as health system reform and physician payment. Meeting coverage - Slideshow Feature articlesHealth reform review The Massachusetts experience Litigation stress Being sued is personal as well as professional Comprehensive coverage
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