Gap is wide between standards and behavior, survey shows

By Todd Zwillich
WebMD
©2007 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved.

WASHINGTON — A survey of American doctors released Monday shows wide gaps between what doctors say they believe about practicing medicine ethically and what they actually do to fulfill them.

The study concluded that doctors often don't follow through on their own beliefs about protecting patients' privacy, avoiding conflicts of interest, or reporting incompetent or impaired colleagues.

The reasons for the disconnect are unclear, though researchers say many doctors may fear retribution or lawsuits if they expose bad behavior of colleagues. They also suggest that legal regulations governing doctors' ethics may not be strong enough.

"I think that our findings go well beyond personal ethics," says David Blumenthal, MD, director of the Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and the study's senior author.

The survey shows widespread agreement with accepted professional norms among the 1,650 doctors it polled. More than nine in 10 said doctors should put patients' welfare above financial considerations and should minimize racial health disparities.

Full Story: New study raises ethical concerns for doctors