[Analysis of the ethical principles in medical oaths used by medical schools of Argentina in relation to the Hippocratic Oath].
Medical oaths have consulted the source of all Medical Ethics through centuries. Since the 60s a new consensus on ethics was sought to apply to the new medical problems. The consensus was on the basic principles: beneficence, non-maleficence, justice and respect for the patient's autonomy with its two rules of confidentiality and veracity. The Hippocratic Oath specifies the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence and the rule of confidentiality. They are included in the texts used in different Medical Schools of the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The purpose of this analysis is to determine which of those ethical principles are included in the Argentinian Medical Oaths. At present, out of the ten Faculties of Medicine that use a formula, six choose the Declaration of Geneva and the rest use their own texts. No schools use the Hippocratic Oath. Neither of the five different Oaths include the four principles. The rule of confidentiality is the one most frequently mentioned followed by the principles of beneficence and justice. The principles of non-maleficence and of respect for the patient's autonomy, in general, and the rule of veracity, in particular, are not indicated. Revision of the Medical Oaths used in Argentina, is basically for the ethical revision suggested, in order to include all the ethical principles strongly agreed upon.
Departmento de Graduados, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
A M
AM
Rancich
R J
RJ
Gelpi
D001118:Argentina; D006625:Hippocratic Oath; D006801:Humans; D012577:Schools, Medical