Alternative and Complementary Care Ethics  

Oleh:

Cohen, Michael H.

Jenis: Article from Books - E-Book
Dalam koleksi: The Cambridge Textbook of Bioethics, page 513-520.
Topik: Complementary; Alternative Medical Therapies; Law; Policy
Fulltext: Alternative and Complementary Care Ethics.pdf (290.09KB)

Isi artikel

Ms. M, a patient with a rare skin condition who has failed all relevant conventional therapies, asks her dermatologist, Dr. N, about treatment options involving complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies. Dr. N mentions a homeopathic remedy commonly available in pharmacies and health food stores; Ms. M tries the remedy, and the skin conditionquickly resolves. She is elatedbythis success andtells her best friend, a neurologist, who promptly ?les a complaint with the state medical board, noting that few, if any, physicians of any subspecialty in the state ever recommend homeopathy for any condition. The board holds a hearing at which there is no evidence that Dr. N has ever harmed a patient or acted unskillfully or incompetently in any way. Indeed, several dozen patients testify that Dr. N is a skilled, caring healthcare professional. The board nonetheless decides to revoke Dr. N’s license based on a state statute de?ning professional misconduct as ‘‘any departure from acceptable and prevailing medical standards.’’ Subsequently, Ms. M sues Dr. N for malpractice, alleging that he failed to adequately discuss the risks and bene?ts of a different CAM therapy – acupuncture – for her condition, and, in the alternative, that by inducing her to rely on homeopathy he neglected conventional dermatological treatment.

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