Conscience and the Way of Medicine

Area of Science:

• Medical Ethics
• Philosophy of Medicine

Background:

• Conscientious refusals in medicine reveal fundamental disagreements about the physician's role.
• Two primary models of medical practice are identified: the 'provider of services model' and the 'Way of Medicine'.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the philosophical underpinnings of conscientious refusals.
• To explore the implications of these rival accounts for the medical profession's future.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of the ethical obligations of physicians.
• Examination of the conflict between patient-perceived well-being and objective health.

Main Results:

• The 'provider of services model' obligates physicians to fulfill patient requests if legal and feasible.
• The 'Way of Medicine' obligates physicians to prioritize objectively construed patient health, refusing contradictory requests.
• Conscientious refusals expose the irreconcilable nature of these two models.

Conclusions:

• The medical profession must choose between suppressing refusals (supporting the service model) or embracing the 'Way of Medicine'.
• Recovering the 'Way of Medicine' allows physicians to refuse interventions not essential for preserving or restoring patient health.