Modern Day Hippocratic Oath Essay
The personal health of the individual appears to be the stereotypical focus of the physician in the eyes of many. Often times, this can even be the focus of the physicians themselves. Though a duty to each and every individual patient exists and is important, their health is determined by so much more than the one-on-one care provided in a doctor's office. How can the physician hope to keep their patient well, if the environment they exist in is inherently unhealthy or harmful to them? The modern day Hippocratic oath, charges physicians to do the following (Lasagna, 1964): I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure. I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow
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Patients oftentimes seek out their doctor's opinion on any number of health and societal issues. How educated the physician is on the subject matter and how they respond to these inquiries can have a direct and significant impact on how the patient proceeds, and their long-term health. A study by Stein et al. (2004) illustrated this point by showing that how the patient's physician responded to advice given by public health officials impacted adherence to the advice. The study involved a public health suggestion to a group of postal workers and Capitol Hill employees to take a 60 day regimen of antibiotics to combat potential anthrax exposure. Of the group, 37 people got specific advice from their personal physician about taking the medicine. When the physician suggested they take the medicine, 14 of 15 did. When the physician wasn't certain or did not recommend the medicine, only 4 of the 22 actually used it. Though this study is relatively small, it shows that a physician merely supporting public health recommendations has a synergistic effect on patient compliance, and hopefully, overall public health. If one-on-one personal recommendations from a doctor can have such an impact, how else might the physician support public health in their community or even the
Patients oftentimes seek out their doctor's opinion on any number of health and societal issues. How educated the physician is on the subject matter and how they respond to these inquiries can have a direct and significant impact on how the patient proceeds, and their long-term health. A study by Stein et al. (2004) illustrated this point by showing that how the patient's physician responded to advice given by public health officials impacted adherence to the advice. The study involved a public health suggestion to a group of postal workers and Capitol Hill employees to take a 60 day regimen of antibiotics to combat potential anthrax exposure. Of the group, 37 people got specific advice from their personal physician about taking the medicine. When the physician suggested they take the medicine, 14 of 15 did. When the physician wasn't certain or did not recommend the medicine, only 4 of the 22 actually used it. Though this study is relatively small, it shows that a physician merely supporting public health recommendations has a synergistic effect on patient compliance, and hopefully, overall public health. If one-on-one personal recommendations from a doctor can have such an impact, how else might the physician support public health in their community or even the