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The virtuous pathologist. An ethical basis for laboratory medicine
1Department of Philosophy, Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois.
American Journal of Clinical Pathology
|June 1, 1989
Summary
Pathology is a practice focused on patient health, requiring technical skill and strong relationships. Ethical practice in pathology depends on pathologists embracing proper goals and virtues.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- Philosophy of Medicine
- Pathology Practice
Background:
- Pathology is viewed as a practice with internal goods aimed at patient well-being.
- Philosophical concepts of practice and internal goods are applied to pathology.
- Restoring patient health is the ultimate goal of pathology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define the internal goods of the practice of pathology.
- To explore the role of virtues in achieving the goals of pathology.
- To ensure ethical practice through proper goals and predispositions.
Main Methods:
- Philosophical analysis of the practice of pathology.
- Identification of key internal goods within pathology.
- Conceptualization of virtues as predispositions for ethical action.
Main Results:
- Internal goods of pathology include technical competence and proper professional relationships.
- Virtues are essential for attaining the practice's end and furthering its internal goods.
- Continued articulation of pathology's goals is necessary for ethical practice.
Conclusions:
- Ethical practice in pathology requires pathologists to be predisposed to act according to proper goals.
- Technical growth must align with the articulation of the practice's aims and internal goods.
- The ultimate aim of pathology is the patient's good, achieved through virtuous practice.