David Macintosh is a former surgeon and an ethicist who writes with candour, insight and eloquence about empathy, practical wisdom, rationality and human frailty, factors that bear profoundly upon our understanding of trust. He sees trust as a burden a doctor must accept for all patients. It imposes an obligation that goes to the core of a doctor’s character.
Sexual abuse of patients has received much press in recent years. More victims have come forward documenting their experiences with professionals who abuse fiduciary and confidential relationships by engaging the victim in sexual liaisons. The work is written by a lawyer and a psychologist to examine the ramifications of these problems, and should be of interest to a wide audience of professional and scholarly readers, particularly those in the helping professions, and to college students especially in Women's Studies Courses with a focus on women and violence themes. For generations, untold numbers of women suffered the silent horror of being sexually exploited by respected professional men whom society deemed above reproach. The frightened cries of these victims fell on deaf ears. Lately, the epidemic abuse of professional power for sexual favors has secured a prominent place in America's conscience. Victimized women are now empowered to speak out as society tries to understand how and why their pillars have fallen. In this thought-provoking book, women who have been coerced into sexual liaisons by lawyers, doctors, clergymen, educators, and other professionals reveal their experiences and the toll it took on their lives. Their recollections provide fresh insight into why some women are vulnerable to exploitation and what leads these men to risk their entire livelihoods to seduce their patient, client, or confidante. What ensues is an in-depth examination of a type of relationship that begins with trust, feeds on real or imagined attraction, and often ends in emotional ruin. In Betrayal of Trust, studying the actual relationship is only the beginning. Friedman and Boumil dig deeper to educate about exploitative situations. Readers will learn about early warning signs for recognizing when a professional relationship is crossing the dangerous boundary line between professionalism and sexual abuse. On the legal front, new laws and statutes concerning sexual exploitation and malpractice are considered along with the time, financial, and emotional ramifications of lawsuits and other legal recourse. Victims are taken step-by-step through the long psychological healing process that leads from anger, shame, and guilt to vindication, resolution, and recovery. Related issues such as mutual consent and the ethics of sexual relationships between a man and woman after termination of their professional relationship are also discussed. The book not only sheds light on the misuse of power in professional relationships. It performs a valuable public service by pinpointing potential targets of abuse and offering hope for the thousands of victims who need to know why it happened to them and how they can pick up the pieces.
Professionals, it is said, have no use for simple lists of virtues and vices. The complexities and constraints of professional roles create peculiar moral demands on the people who occupy them, and traits that are vices in ordinary life are praised as virtues in the context of professional roles. Should this disturb us, or is it naive to presume that things should be otherwise? Taking medical and legal practice as key examples, Justin Oakley and Dean Cocking develop a rigorous articulation and defence of virtue ethics, contrasting it with other types of character-based ethical theories and showing that it offers a promising new approach to the ethics of professional roles. They provide insights into the central notions of professional detachment, professional integrity, and moral character in professional life, and demonstrate how a virtue-based approach can help us better understand what ethical professional-client relationships would be like.
In his highly anticipated third book, “ Healing the Rift A Physician’s Insight into Medical Negligence – Past, Present, and Paths to Progress,” esteemed author and Senior Consulting Physician, Dr. Yogesh Gupta, goes beyond the surface to explore the historical roots of contemporary healthcare challenges in India. Delving deep into the origins of problems imported from the USA, which were later adopted by India, Dr. Gupta presents a meticulous analysis of the factors that have strained the patient-doctor relationship. Having previously shared his insights in “”COVID Diaries: Virus vs We”” and “”We Learn as We Grow,”” Dr. Gupta brings a wealth of wisdom to his latest work. Here, he not only examines the historical backdrop of medical negligence but also shines a critical light on the shortcomings of the present legal system in adjudicating the intricate nuances of medical practice. In a bold departure from conventional thinking, Dr. Yogesh Gupta argues that the current punitive model and the lengthy, tedious legal processes fail to deliver justice to either the patient or the doctor. Firm in his belief that justice should be swift, fair, and restorative, Dr. Gupta proposes a new vision for addressing the complexities of medical negligence in India. His book is a manifesto for change, advocating for a system that prioritizes trust, ethics, and efficiency. “”Healing the Rift”” is not just a critique; it is a call to action. Dr. Gupta’s compelling narrative, enriched by historical insights and profound reflections, challenges the status quo and presents a roadmap for a healthcare system that serves both patients and doctors equitably. This book is essential reading for anyone seeking a transformative perspective on the future of healthcare in India.
The doctor-patient relationship is fraught with risk. Patients may be at risk from a doctor who misuses their position of authority, or is unclear where the appropriate boundaries lie. Doctors risk disciplinary or criminal proceedings when this happens. This book aims to address these risks, to assist clinicians in their daily relationships with patients, and to improve patient safety. The authors examine the ethical principles and how these may be taught; prevalence of abuse; regulation and sanctions; management and governance; remediation; and the roles of the different organisations that may be involved, such as the General Medical Council and medical protection societies. This is a practical guide to help clinicians avoid boundary violations and improve patient safety.
The effective functioning of a democratic society—including social, business, and political interactions—largely depends on trust. Yet trust remains a fragile and elusive resource in many of the organizations that make up society's building blocks. In their timely volume, Trust and Distrust in Organizations, editors Roderick M. Kramer and Karen S. Cook have compiled the most important research on trust in organizations, illuminating the complex nature of how trust develops, functions, and often is thwarted in organizational settings. With contributions from social psychologists, sociologists, political scientists, economists, and organizational theorists, the volume examines trust and distrust within a variety of settings—from employer-employee and doctor-patient relationships, to geographically dispersed work teams and virtual teams on the internet. Trust and Distrust in Organizations opens with an in-depth examination of hierarchical relationships to determine how trust is established and maintained between people with unequal power. Kurt Dirks and Daniel Skarlicki find that trust between leaders and their followers is established when people perceive a shared background or identity and interact well with their leader. After trust is established, people are willing to assume greater risks and to work harder. In part II, the contributors focus on trust between people in teams and networks. Roxanne Zolin and Pamela Hinds discover that trust is more easily established in geographically dispersed teams when they are able to meet face-to-face initially. Trust and Distrust in Organizations moves on to an examination of how people create and foster trust and of the effects of power and betrayal on trust. Kimberly Elsbach reports that managers achieve trust by demonstrating concern, maintaining open communication, and behaving consistently. The final chapter by Roderick Kramer and Dana Gavrieli includes recently declassified data from secret conversations between President Lyndon Johnson and his advisors that provide a rich window into a leader's struggles with problems of trust and distrust in his administration. Broad in scope, Trust and Distrust in Organizations provides a captivating and insightful look at trust, power, and betrayal, and is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the underpinnings of trust within a relationship or an organization. A Volume in the Russell Sage Foundation Series on Trust
This socially conscious, culturally relevant book explores the little-known history and present climate of Black people in the medical field. It reveals the deficiencies in the American healthcare structure that have contributed to the mismanagement of healthcare in the Black population, and examines cross-currents that intersect with the major events in minority medical history. Illustrated across 10 expertly written chapters, this text features a longitudinal timeline with the presentation of evidence-based information drawn from historical, political, and clinical sources. The book begins with an analysis of diseases particularly prevalent in the Black community due to socioeconomic inequalities in available medical care. These diseases include sickle cell anemia, hypertension, heart failure, drug addiction, and HIV/AIDS. Bolstered by profiles of historically well-known Black physicians, stories of success in medical education, and the remarkable impact of Black medical organizations, subsequent chapters address the triumphs and tribulations of the Black medical professional in America. Concluding with an examination of the current health status of Black people in the United States, the book makes a case for future systemic improvements in healthcare delivery to minority communities. A unique, noteworthy reference, Blacks in Medicine: Clinical, Demographic, and Socioeconomic Correlations is written for a broad range of physicians and health providers, as well as professionals in the social sciences and public health.
Focusing on a matter of continuing contemporary significance, this book is the first work to offer an in-depth exploration of exploitation in the doctor-patient relationship. It provides a theoretical analysis of the concept of exploitation, setting out exploitation’s essential elements within the authors’ account of wrongful exploitation. It then presents a contextual analysis of exploitation in the doctor-patient relationship, considering the dynamics of this fiduciary relationship, the significance of vulnerability, and the reasons why exploitation in this relationship is particularly wrongful. Two case studies – sexual exploitation and assisted dying – are employed to assess what the appropriate legal, ethical and regulatory responses to exploitation should be, to identify common themes regarding the doctor’s behaviour (such as the use of undue influence as a conduit through which to take advantage of and misuse patients), and to illustrate the effects of exploitation on patients. A recurring question addressed is how exploitation in the doctor-patient relationship is and should be dealt with by ethics, regulators and the law, and whether exploitation in this relationship is a special case. The book provides a critical, interdisciplinary evaluation of exploitation in the doctor-patient relationship that will be of interest to health care lawyers, bioethicists, legal academics and practitioners, health care professionals and policymakers.
"Practical Ethics for General Practice, second edition, is essential reading for GPs, trainees, community nurses, those interested in bioethics, and medical students." --Book Jacket.
