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Selected Works of C. Barry Hoffmaster
Article
Ethical Decision Making by British General Practitioners
The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners (1989)
  • Ronald J. Christie, The University of Western Ontario
  • Charles Freer
  • Barry Hoffmaster, The University of Western Ontario
  • Moira A. Stewart, The University of Western Ontario
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Abstract

General practitioners in England and Wales were sent a questionnaire asking how they would handle the ethical problems posed by six case vignettes and their reasons for their decisions. The ethical problems included: how much information to divulge to patients, how extensively a physician should become involved in the lifestyles of patients and how to deal with a possible family problem. The varying patterns of response to the six cases suggested that ethical issues are resolved in a case-by-case, not a theoretical, basis.

Keywords
  • Beneficence,
  • Bioethical Issues,
  • Decision Making,
  • Clinical Ethics,
  • Bioethics,
  • Great Britain,
  • Personal Autonomy,
  • Physician-Patient Relations,
  • Family medicine
Disciplines
Publication Date
November, 1989
Citation Information
Ronald J. Christie, Charles Freer, Barry Hoffmaster and Moira A. Stewart. "Ethical Decision Making by British General Practitioners" The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners Vol. 39 Iss. 328 (1989)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/barryhoffmaster/34/