The relevance of the Hippocratic Oath to the ethical and moral values of contemporary medicine. Part II: interpretation of the Hippocratic Oath —today’s perspective

The objective is to prove that theOath has established the general context of medical ethics of the physician –patient relationship, which reflects long-lasting moral values that still define the medical profession. TheOath has exemplified the fundamental modern ethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence and confidentiality. Its foremost message focuses on patients ’ best interests and not on the prohibition of surgery, euthanasia or abortion, as is generally believed. Furthermore, theOath as a code of professional identity has had a powerful impact on modem judicial opinions regarding medical ethics. In a lot of ways, it is as relevant of the values of contemporary medicine as it was for ancient medicine.Graphical abstractThese slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.
Source: European Spine Journal - Category: Orthopaedics Source Type: research