The professor is teaching a class on ethics. Write a post responding to the professor’s question.
In your response, you should do the following.
- Express and support your opinion.
- Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.
An effective response will contain at least 100 words.
Professor: Next week, we’ll begin exploring ethical issues in the medical field. There has been a lot of discussion recently about personal relationships between physicians and their patients. Some people think it is acceptable for doctors to form friendships with their patients, while others believe that doctors should main strict boundaries and only interact regarding medical issues. What do you think about this issue? Is it alright for doctors to be friends with their patients?
Miguel: I believe that it can actually be beneficial for doctors to be friends with their patients. When people feel at ease around their physician, they are more likely to open up about problems with their health. This means that they are likely to experience better outcomes when it comes to serious illnesses.
Natalia: Personally, I don’t think it is a good idea for people to be friendly with the doctors who treat them. I want medical professionals to base their decisions purely on science, and not on personal feelings. What I mean is that when a doctor has a personal relationship with a patient they might bump them to the front of the line for a certain treatment. As a result of this, a person who more desperately needs that treatment might go without.
Sample Response
While I appreciate the points everyone has made, I share Juan’s position that close friendships between doctors and patients are beneficial. Basically, people can be really shy about their health problems and this means they sometimes go months or years without mentioning critical problems. However, when they feel comfortable with their doctor they might be more willing to disclose them. For instance, a patient suffering from a lifestyle related disease might blame themselves and not want to bring it up. This could lead to more serious consequences in the long run, including their possible death. I understand what Natalia is saying about favoritism, but remember that doctors have all spent many hours studying medical ethics, and have even sworn oaths to uphold them. As a result of that, I’m not worried that they will let their emotions cloud their judgement.
Video Guide
This question was used in the following video.