Surgical ethics: a framework for surgeons, patients, and society

Area of Science:

• Medical Ethics
• Surgical Practice
• Professionalism

Background:

• Surgery integrates technical skill (techne), knowledge (episteme), and judgment (phronesis).
• Increasing surgical complexity and innovation necessitate robust ethical frameworks.
• Surgical ethics is distinct due to unique characteristics and goals within medical ethics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define the scope of surgical ethics.
• To present key ethical issues and surgeon's approaches.
• To explore the implications of surgical ethics for patients, surgeons, and society.

Main Methods:

• Discussion of ethical reasoning in surgery.
• Application of principlism and the four-box model.
• Analysis of key surgical experiences: rescue, proximity, ordeal, aftermath, presence.

Main Results:

• Ethical considerations are integral to surgical professionalism.
• Ethical reasoning aids in decision-making for complex surgical cases.
• The development of surgical ethics impacts all stakeholders.

Conclusions:

• Proficient surgeons require both technical competence and ethical reliability.
• Ethical frameworks guide surgeons in addressing moral choices in practice.
• Advancing surgical ethics benefits patients, surgeons, and society.