Table 2.
Comparison of six ethical codes
| SAEM | ACEP | EMRA | AMAa | AOAb | Hippocratic Oath | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protect patient confidentiality | c | X | X | X | X | X |
| Maintain professional expertise | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Committed to serve humanity | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Patient welfare primary concern | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Considerate to patients, colleagues | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Respect human dignity | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Safeguard public health | X | X | X | X | ||
| Protect vulnerable | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Advance professional ideals | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Honesty | d | X | X | X | ||
| Report incompetent, dishonest, impaired physicians | d | X | X | X | ||
| Moral sensitivity | X | X | X | |||
| Obtain necessary consultation | X | X | X | |||
| Altruism in teaching | X | X | X | |||
| Fairness to students, colleagues | X | X | X | |||
| Obey, respect the law | X | X | X | |||
| Prudent resource use | X | X | ||||
| Work to change laws for patient benefit | X | X | ||||
| Not abuse privileges | X | X | ||||
| Respect for students | X | X | ||||
| Choose whom to serve except in emergencies | X | X | ||||
| Ensure beneficial research with competence, impartiality, compassion | X | |||||
| No abortion | X | |||||
| No euthanasia | X | |||||
| Do not compromise clinical judgment for money | X | |||||
| Universal access to healthcare | X | |||||
| Preserve human life | X |
The American Association of Emergency Medicine's ethical code deals primarily with questions of professional etiquette, including conflicts of interest. The American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians and the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians do not have an ethical oath or code.
Abbreviations: ACEP, American College of Emergency Physicians; AOA, American Osteopathic Association; AMA, American Medical Association; EMRA, Emergency Medicine Residents's Association; SAEM, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.
The American Medical Association has both a relatively brief Principles of Medical Ethics (nine points) and an extensive Code of Medical Ethics.
The American Osteopathic Association has both a Code of Ethics and an interpretation of some of its sections.
The SAEM code addresses research subject privacy, but not confidentiality—an unusual oversight.
The SAEM code deals primarily with research when addressing these issues.