Abstract
The practice of occupational medicine has been portrayed as being fraught with ethical conflict and yet this problem has received little systematic study. A question and case study survey of a randomly selected cohort of members of the American Occupational Medical Association has been performed to examine the extent and nature of this problem in occupational medicine practice in the United States. The results indicate a strong reliance on traditional medical role models in responding to ethical conflict but with significant underlying tension between more deontological physician-patient approaches and more teleological public health approaches. These results have significant implications for the synthesis of bioethical theories based on a perceived complementarity of ethical reality, as well as suggesting important improvements in future occupational medicine training.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Balk J. L. Problems in providing medical care and economic redress to injured workers: the physician's responsibility: ethical and legal considerations. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1979;330:513–520. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1979.tb18754.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Brandt-Rauf P. W., Brandt-Rauf S. I. Ethical aspects of reproductive health in the workplace. Occup Med. 1986 Jul-Sep;1(3):509–515. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Brandt-Rauf S. I., Brandt-Rauf P. W. Occupational health ethics: OSHA and the courts. J Health Polit Policy Law. 1980 Fall;5(3):523–534. doi: 10.1215/03616878-5-3-523. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Carrick D. Loyalties of a company doctor. J Soc Occup Med. 1977 Apr;27(2):72–73. doi: 10.1093/occmed/27.2.72. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Davis M. E. Ethical conduct and the occupational physician. Bull N Y Acad Med. 1978 Sep;54(8):733–741. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Dinman B. D. The loyalty of the occupational physician. Bull N Y Acad Med. 1978 Sep;54(8):729–732. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Goldsmith J. The new ethic: the doctor's responsibility for health on the job. Environ Res. 1976 Apr;11(2):170–175. doi: 10.1016/0013-9351(76)90073-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Schulte P. A., Ringen K. Notification of workers at high risk: an emerging public health problem. Am J Public Health. 1984 May;74(5):485–491. doi: 10.2105/ajph.74.5.485. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]