William T. Branch Jr.
Article first published online: 9 JAN 2014
DOI: 10.1002/hast.250
Here is an excerpt:
Bioethicists have proposed that an emphasis on autonomy and justice constitutes the important turn in contemporary medical ethics. As an ordinary doctor involved in the care of sick patients, I experienced a different turn: the shift from scientific hubris toward more compassionate care.
The future will likely bring an emphasis on limiting the costs of health care, related in ethics to distributive justice. But what do we learn about justice from being at the patient's bedside? We will not learn to abandon being our individual patients’ advocates. As in the case above, we witness their suffering. We participate. Our responsibility is to care for them.
The entire article is here.
