The Trusted Doctor: Medical Ethics and Professionalism

Rosamond Rhodes argues that common descriptions of the morality of medical ethics are inappropriate for the profession and inadequate to respond to the specific problems that arise in medical practice. Instead, Rhodes says that trust is the core and starting point of a moral framework that proclaims that doctors' most fundamental duty is to 'seek trust and be trustworthy'. Building on this foundation, he explains the sixteen specific duties that doctors undertake when they enter the profession, and shows how the view of these duties is largely consistent with the codes of medical ethics of medical societies around the world. It then explains why it is so important for doctors to develop the attitudes or 'doctorly' virtues that make up the character of trustworthy doctors and support their efforts in fulfilling their professional duties. The book's presentation of the duties of doctors and the elements that make up the character of a doctor make up a coherent and comprehensive description of what medical professionalism really is.