Professional Values, Attitudes, Behavior and Ethics

Figure 1. Domains of global essential requirements

Professionalism and ethical behavior are essential to the practice of medicine. Professionalism includes not only medical knowledge and skills but also the commitment to a set of shared values, the autonomy to set and enforce these values, and responsibilities to uphold them. The medical graduate must demonstrate:

• recognition of the essential elements of the medical profession, including moral and ethical principles and legal responsibilities underlying the profession;
  
  
• professional values which include excellence, altruism, responsibility, compassion, empathy, accountability, honesty and integrity, and a commitment to scientific methods,
  
  
• an understanding that each physician has an obligation to promote, protect, and enhance these elements for the benefit of patients, the profession and society at large;
  
  
• recognition that good medical practice depends on mutual understanding and relationship between the doctor, the patient and the family with respect for patient's welfare, cultural diversity, beliefs and autonomy;
  
  
• an ability to apply the principles of moral reasoning and decision-making to conflicts within and between ethical, legal and professional issues including those raised by economic constrains, commercialization of health care, and scientific advances;
  
  
• self-regulation and a recognition of the need for continuous self-improvement with an awareness of personal limitations including limitations of one's medical knowledge;
  
  
• respect for colleagues and other health care professionals and the ability to foster a positive collaborative relationship with them;
  
  
• recognition of the moral obligation to provide end-of-life care, including palliation of symptoms;
  
  
• recognition of ethical and medical issues in patient documentation, plagiarism, confidentiality and ownership of intellectual property;
  
  
• ability to effectively plan and efficiently manage one's own time and activities to cope with uncertainty, and the ability to adapt to change;
  
  
• personal responsibility for the care of individual patients.