Immoral Doctors

[Mr_Pipes]

How can we stop the terror that is immoral doctors? Too many immoral doctors have access to a lethal combination of dangerous drugs and vulnerable patients. Can we weed them out at medical school. I set up a small website to give some examples. Can we stop the Harold Shipman's (of Hyde) and Dr David Armstrong (of Edinburgh) of the world?

[Mr_Pipes]

Oh, the website I mentioned is http://www.immoraldoctors.tk

[Skye]

Accountability is part of it, although this is a bit of a vexed issue in itself. But if doctors have some sort of transparency then it will make it easier to work out when things like this are occuring.

[jackson33]

the idea, doctors or those in the medical fields have in some way super human and incapable of error is some what delusional. the reason they spend 20-22 years in school and have years of controlled patient/doctor relationship, helps to eliminate this problem....but they will remain human.

 

the only correct answer; if your in doubt or think YOUR choice is somehow not you expect of this profession, go someplace else and lodge your complaint with the AMA. they are already quite active in this area and have records of all involved dating to med-school entrance.

 

you might also check out what doctors pay for practice insurance. they already each pay the price to even practice, for error of others...

[swansont]

The mention of Hyde and Edinburgh make me think that the AMA is not neccessarily a viable avenue of complaint.

[Bluenoise]

Well one can always take it into their own hands and sue them whenever possible. After a few secessful lawsuits to tarnish their opinions there likely aren't many hospitals that will rehire them...

 

Other than that it is very hard to weed someone out till they've actually done something wrong. Everyone gets at least a chance. So all there is left to do is keep a watchful eye and make people accountable for their actions.

[SkepticLance]

Let me introduce you to the Asshole Principle.

 

It is a law of human nature that 10% of EVERY population is composed of assholes.

 

Asshole is defined as anyone whose behaviour is restrained only by self interest, and the fear of getting caught and punished. ie. they have no conscience.

 

An asshole will do absolutely anything that benefits themselves, if they think they can get away with it. Since 10% of every human population is composed of assholes, that means that 10% of all doctors are assholes also. These doctors will happily prescribe drugs for reasons related to ther own income, regardless of the impact on their patients, if they think they can get away with it.

 

Once you understand the asshole principle, you have an enhanced understanding of how the world works. There is no solution to this problem, but there are ways of reducing the negative impact of all those assholes. The main one is to increase policing of human behaviour, since assholes will modify their actions to avoid getting caught and punished. Perhaps, in this thread, we should talk about how to better police the asshole doctors.

 

However, we also need to remember that 90% are NOT assholes, and will do what is decent, professional and right.

[Bluenoise]

Let me introduce you to the Asshole Principle.

 

It is a law of human nature that 10% of EVERY population is composed of assholes.

 

Asshole is defined as anyone whose behaviour is restrained only by self interest, and the fear of getting caught and punished. ie. they have no conscience.

 

An asshole will do absolutely anything that benefits themselves, if they think they can get away with it. Since 10% of every human population is composed of assholes, that means that 10% of all doctors are assholes also. These doctors will happily prescribe drugs for reasons related to ther own income, regardless of the impact on their patients, if they think they can get away with it.

 

Once you understand the asshole principle, you have an enhanced understanding of how the world works. There is no solution to this problem, but there are ways of reducing the negative impact of all those assholes. The main one is to increase policing of human behaviour, since assholes will modify their actions to avoid getting caught and punished. Perhaps, in this thread, we should talk about how to better police the asshole doctors.

 

However, we also need to remember that 90% are NOT assholes, and will do what is decent, professional and right.

 

Yeah but who will police the asshole police, policing the asshole doctors?

[CPL.Luke]

hmm at least one of those cases has nothing to do with medical ethics, the Armstrong case involving the medical students has absolutely nothing to do with the students ability to act ethically in their profession, and seems to me like some harmless fun between consenting adults. (whether or not you approve of it doesn't matter)

 

I only read two of the reports, so I don't know how valid the rest of those are. However it is important to make the distinction between practices that are medically and professionally ethical and practices which are personally unethical, one of these is defined the other is not.