Family medicine and medical ethics--a natural and necessary union

Since many ethical dilemmas in the practice of medicine involve cases associated with tertiary care, primary care providers may feel removed from these kinds of problems. Family medicine, committed to an intellectual synergism with a variety of non-biomedical disciplines as well as being a "specialty in breadth" should develop a strong bond with medical ethics. Because of their ongoing relationships with patients and subsequent knowledge of their value systems, family physicians can provide leadership in guiding ethical decision making in intensive care settings. In addition, since a significant number of ethical dilemmas in medicine involve common problems, family physicians may be more sensitive to and feel more comfortable with this aspect of medical practice. Some family practice residency programs have begun to provide educational experiences in medical ethics for their trainees. Although the evaluation methodology for this aspect of training is not fully developed, it seems clear that residency programs should give additional attention to these areas in planning their curricula.