Ethical Decision - Making and Its Teaching
TONGCHAN HONGLADAROM, M.D.*
Affiliation : * Faculty of Medicine, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok 65000, Thailand.
Physicians make daily important deci- sions: the most common are ; 1) decision - making on strategy of diagnosis and investigation, 2) deci- sion - making on treatment and management of diseases ; and 3) ethical decision - making. Thai physicians have been learning and practicing the first two since they were medical students and medical practice is supervised by the Thai Medical Council. However it must be admitted that Thai physicians lack adequate expertise in ethical deci- sion - making. Usually the junior ones follow the ethical decision pattern of their seniors, or solve an ethical problem without proper academic or philo- sophical reasoning. Therefore, the decisions very often go wrong. Luckily enough, due to the fact that Thai people have a strong faith in the medical profession, it is very rare for Thai physicians to be sued in a court of law.
Keywords :
