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Examples Of Ethical Dilemmas In Medicine

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Abstract

Ethical dilemmas in medicine are inevitable, because medicine is a field that is highly fluid and evolving over time. Ethics form the backbone of our occupation as healthcare professionals and as such, it would befit us if we addressed ethical quandaries as they arise. This essay highlights and compares ethical dilemmas that I have encountered between the Republic of Croatia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The cornerstones of medical ethics – autonomy, justice, beneficence and non-maleficence are addressed and suggestions to improve shortcomings are given.

Introduction

In the golden words of William Shakespeare, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” These words brilliantly attest to the actual applicability of our approach with regards to not just medical ethics, but ethical issues in general. While Shakespeare’s words may seem a bit confounding at a first glance, they point to the truism that sometimes what one may interpret as good, another may interpret as bad, and the ‘right’ thing to do may actually be the ‘wrong’ thing to do under certain circumstances, and, of course, vice versa. Ethical dilemmas in medicine are bound to always arise, because the scope of this field is never constant and ever evolving with advancements in medicine, science and technology.

In the practice of medicine, medical ethics are perhaps the most fundamental parameters that govern and guide the words, thoughts and deeds of healthcare professionals.

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