Article Text
Symposium: Heroes—or just doing their job?
Commentary on Glannon and Ross, and McKay
Abstract
The patient-doctor relationship has recently come under intense scrutiny, resulting in a re-evaluation of the basis of that relationship. The papers by Glannon and Ross, and McKay seek to identify the sources of authority in the patient-doctor relationship by evaluating it in terms of the concept of altruism. In this paper I argue that the analysis of Glannon and Ross, and of McKay is unnecessary and that the analysis offered by the latter is also flawed. I do acknowledge, however, that Glannon and Ross's description of doctors' responsibilities and patients' roles has much to commend it.
- Patient/doctor relationship
- altruism
- beneficence
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Linked Articles
- Book review
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