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The scope and responsibility of medicine. A forum with a purpose
Insights
Physicians and health professionals need to define the scope of medicine. California Medicine is launching a forum to discuss and establish a consensus on medical responsibility in society.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- Public Health Policy
Background:
- A lack of consensus exists regarding the appropriate scope and responsibilities of medicine in contemporary society.
- Physicians and the public recognize the urgent need for a clear definition of medicine's role.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a dedicated forum within California Medicine for discussing the scope and responsibility of medicine.
- To foster dialogue and gather diverse perspectives on the evolving role of healthcare.
Main Methods:
- Initiating a journal-based forum with statements from distinguished experts in the health field.
- Inviting constructive and succinct submissions from readers and other stakeholders.
- Planning to collate and distill submitted views into a formal statement.
Main Results:
- The forum aims to stimulate thought and commentary on the scope of medicine.
- Initial statements from experts will guide the discussion.
- Future issues will feature reader contributions to the ongoing dialogue.
Conclusions:
- A consensus on the scope and responsibility of medicine is crucial for meeting societal expectations.
- This initiative seeks to define medicine's role and responsibilities for consideration by the California Medical Association.
- The forum represents an innovative approach to medical journalism, encouraging broad participation.
Abstract:
Many physicians and others are convinced that there is a pressing need for more discussion and more agreement concerning what ought to be the scope of medicine in today's society. At the present moment, there is no general consensus either within or without the profession. Yet if the responsibility is ever to be met, its scope must be recognized and somehow defined. The editors of California Medicine propose to provide a forum in this journal for discussion of the scope and responsibility of medicine. This is a forum with a purpose, and so far as is known, an innovation in medical journalism. The forum is initiated with the statements beginning on the following page. Readers and others are invited to submit their views constructively and succinctly. As many of these as space permits will be published in future issues of California Medicine as a continuation of this forum. At an appropriate time all the material will be collated and, if feasible, the distillate will be prepared in the form of a statement on "The Scope and Responsibility of Medicine" to be submitted to the Council of the California Medical Association for its consideration. The statements which follow are the concisely expressed views of distinguished scholars, educators, statesmen and practitioners in the health field. It is hoped their views on this timely and important subject will provoke thought and comment among the readers of this journal