Ethical Obligations in Short-Term Global Health Clinical Experiences: The Devil Is in the Details
Authors: Carey Farquhar, Ruth W. Nduati, Judith N. Wasserheit
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2018)

Editorials1 May 2018Ethical Obligations in Short-Term Global Health Clinical Experiences: The Devil Is in the DetailsCarey Farquhar, MD, MPH, Ruth W. Nduati, MBChB, MMed, MPH, and Judith N. Wasserheit, MD, MPHCarey Farquhar, MD, MPHUniversity of Washington, Seattle, Washington (C.F., J.N.W.)Search for more papers by this author, Ruth W. Nduati, MBChB, MMed, MPHUniversity of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya (R.W.N.)Search for more papers by this author, and Judith N. Wasserheit, MD, MPHUniversity of Washington, Seattle, Washington (C.F., J.N.W.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M18-0566 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In their position paper, DeCamp and colleagues (1) outline ethical obligations for physicians participating in short-term clinical experiences in global health (STEGHs). Most published work on this topic has focused on health care providers in training, whereas this paper targets licensed physicians who are currently practicing medicine and engaged in global health activities in a nontraining capacity. The paper thus fills a major gap in the literature and also raises challenging ethical questions.The authors present 5 positions to guide decision making, which are framed around 4 accepted principles of health care ethics: beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, and respect for autonomy ...References1. DeCamp M, Lehmann LS, Jaeel P, Horwitch C; ACP Ethics, Professionalism and Human Rights Committee. Ethical obligations regarding short-term global health clinical experiences: an American College of Physicians position paper. Ann Intern Med. 2018;168:651-7. doi:10.7326/M17-3361 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Beauchamp TL, Childress JF. Principles of Biomedical Ethics. 7th ed. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford Univ Pr; 2013. Google Scholar3. Cherniak W, Latham E, Astle B, Anguyo G, Beaunoir T, Buenaventura J, et al. Visiting trainees in global settings: host and partner perspectives on desirable competencies. Ann Glob Health. 2017;83:359-368. [PMID: 28619413] doi:10.1016/j.aogh.2017.04.007 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. McCoy D, Mwansambo C, Costello A, Khan A. Academic partnerships between rich and poor countries. Lancet. 2008;371:1055-7. [PMID: 18374827] doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)60466-3 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Washington, Seattle, Washington (C.F., J.N.W.)University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya (R.W.N.)Acknowledgment: The authors thank Denise Dudzinski, Professor and Chair of the Department of Bioethics & Humanities at the University of Washington, for her insightful comments and edits.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M18-0566.Corresponding Author: Judith N. Wasserheit, MD, MPH, Department of Global Health, University of Washington, 1705 NE Pacific Street, #357965, Seattle, WA 98195; e-mail, [email protected]edu.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Farquhar: Department of Global Health, University of Washington, NJB 13th Floor, 325 9th Avenue, Box 359909, Seattle, WA 98104.Dr. Nduati: Professor, Department of Paediatrics & Child Health, University of Nairobi, PO Box 19676, Nairobi, Kenya.Dr. Wasserheit: Department of Global Health, University of Washington, 1705 NE Pacific Street, #357965, Seattle, WA 98195.This article was published at Annals.org on 27 March 2018. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoEthical Obligations Regarding Short-Term Global Health Clinical Experiences: An American College of Physicians Position Paper Matthew DeCamp , Lisa Soleymani Lehmann , Pooja Jaeel , Carrie Horwitch , and Metrics Cited byGlobal clinical experience of a long-term surgical mission tripEthical Obligations Regarding Short-Term Global Health Clinical ExperiencesMitch Brinks, MD, MPH, Justin Denny, MD, and Sara Schwanke Khilji, MD, MPHEthical Obligations Regarding Short-Term Global Health Clinical ExperiencesChester B. Good, MD, N. Randall Kolb, MD, Lindsay Nakaishi, MD, MPH, and Mark Meyer, MD 1 May 2018Volume 168, Issue 9Page: 672-673KeywordsBioethicsDisclosureGlobal healthLow and middle income countriesMotivationNative American peoplePrevention, policy, and public healthSurgeryUrban areasVision ePublished: 27 March 2018 Issue Published: 1 May 2018 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2018 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...