Putting Ethics into the Medical Record
Authors: Alfred I. Tauber
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2002)

Medical Writings2 April 2002Putting Ethics into the Medical RecordAlfred I. Tauber, MDAlfred I. Tauber, MDFrom the Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MassachusettsSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-136-7-200204020-00024 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The medical record is a sensitive indicator of how care is administered, reflecting not only the structure of clinical thinking but also the values embedded in medical practice. Ostensibly, the medical record identifies all the existing clinical issues, assesses each individually, and then integrates these issues to ensure that the patient receives thorough care. But the aspiration toward integrated, comprehensive health care remains, and the medical chart continues to be piecemeal and, more telling perhaps, incomplete—clearly revealing lingering frustrations facing patients and their health care providers. Physicians are in the midst of a self-conscious reappraisal of how care can be ...References1. Barbour AB. Caring for Patients: A Critique of the Medical Model. Stanford, CA: Stanford Univ Pr; 1995. Google Scholar2. Spiro HM, Curnen MG, Peschel E, St. James D. Empathy and the Practice of Medicine: Beyond Pills and the Scalpel. New Haven, CT: Yale Univ Pr; 1993. Google Scholar3. Hunter KM. Doctors' Stories: The Narrative Structure of Medical Knowledge. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ Pr; 1994. Google Scholar4. Pellegrino ED, Thomasma DC. A Philosophical Basis of Medical Practice: Toward a Philosophy and Ethic of the Healing Professions. New York: Oxford Univ Pr; 1981. Google Scholar5. Lo B. Resolving Ethical Dilemmas. A Guide for Clinicians. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1995. Google Scholar6. Lo B, Quill T, Tulsky J. Discussing palliative care with patients. Ann Intern Med. 1999;130:744-9. [PMID: 10357694] LinkGoogle Scholar7. Karlawish JH, Quill T, Meier DE. A consensus-based approach to providing palliative care to patients who lack decision-making capacity. Ann Intern Med. 1999;130:835-40. [PMID: 10366374] LinkGoogle Scholar8. Murphy EA, Butzow JJ, Suarez-Murias EL. Underpinnings of Medical Ethics. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr; 1997. Google Scholar9. Jonsen AR, Siegler M, Winslade WJ. Clinical Ethics: A Practical Approach to Ethical Decisions in Clinical Medicine. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 1998. Google Scholar10. Thomasma DC. Training in medical ethics: an ethical workup. Forum Med. 1978;1:33-6. [PMID: 10239719] MedlineGoogle Scholar11. Lo B, Schroeder SA. Frequency of ethical dilemmas in a medical inpatient service. Arch Intern Med. 1981;141:1062-4. [PMID: 7247591] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. Tauber AI. Confessions of a Medicine Man: An Essay in Popular Philosophy. Cambridge, MA: MIT Pr; 1999. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Alfred I. Tauber, MDAffiliations: From the Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MassachusettsCorresponding Author: Alfred I. Tauber, MD, Boston University School of Medicine and Center for Philosophy and History of Science, Boston University, 745 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215; e-mail, ait@bu.edu. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoEthics and the Medical Record Timothy J. Drehmer , Mary White , and Barbara L. Schuster Ethics and the Medical Record Fritz Baumgartner Ethics and the Medical Record Alfred I. Tauber Metrics Cited byAppreciating the Legacy of Kübler-Ross: One Clinical Ethicist’s PerspectiveEthical Bargaining and Parental Exclusion: A Clinical Case AnalysisA reflection on writing case records: Development and current demands for acupuncture practitionersSetting priorities for high-cost medications in public hospitals in Australia: should the public be involved?Breaking the connection: Why is it so difficult to talk about discharge with our clients with aphasia?Teaching and Assessing Professionalism in Ophthalmology Residency Training ProgramsThe Moral Domain of the Medical Record: The Routine Ethics EvaluationViewpoint:Viewpoint:Appreciating the Legacy of Kubler-Ross: One Clinical Ethicist's PerspectiveReview of Medical Encounters in the 5 Years Before a Diagnosis of HIV-1 Infection: Implications for Early DetectionEthics and the Medical RecordTimothy J. Drehmer, MD, Mary White, PhD, and Barbara L. Schuster, MDEthics and the Medical RecordFritz Baumgartner, MD 2 April 2002Volume 136, Issue 7Page: 559-563KeywordsCaregiversChartsDecision makingExerciseHealth careHealth care providersMedical ethicsPatientsResuscitationTransplantation ePublished: 2 April 2002 Issue Published: 2 April 2002 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2002 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...