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Ethical issues for the consultant in the general hospital
1Department of Psychiatry, Temple University School of Medicine, 3401 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA. dramchan@unix.temple.edu
Current Psychiatry Reports
|December 21, 2000
Abstract:
Medical practice has changed dramatically in the past 50 years since psychiatry first made inroads into the general hospital setting. The image of the wise, gentleman-psychiatrist in a tweed jacket, spreading pearls of wisdom to a train of eager students and house-officers has been gradually replaced by that of a harried consultant being summoned for triage and tranquilization. In her quest to be all things to all people, the consultation-liaison psychiatrist has to confront many an ethical dilemma. This article highlights some familiar conflicts and attempts to achieve resolution.