Page 2 - KLE Focus Magazine August 2019 Final .cdr

KLE FOCUS Aug 2019 Volume 13, Issue 2

ATTRIBUTES AND BEHAVIOUR OF THE PHYSICIAN

Physicians belong to a professional group of healers, and they have a special respectable place in the
Society. From the mes of Charaka and Sushruta, the a en on of the physicians has been drawn to maintain and
prac ce high professional standards inpa ent care. Recognising the need to bring back the respect and reverence
to the physician, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) took the lead 15 years ago campaigning for a rise
in the standards of the medical profession. The ideals of this project have been brought out as a Charter, to which
all medical professional can and should aspire (1).

The Professional commitments of the Physician include Professional competence, honesty with pa ents,
pa ent confiden ality, maintenance of proper rela onships with pa ents, improvement of quality of care,
appropriate alloca on of resources, scien fic knowledge, maintenance of trust and professional responsibili es.

This Charter has shown a way to the physicians to rise to the expecta on of the medical profession. Its
principal focus is on the renewal of the physician’s dedica on to pa ents’ interests. Herold Sox, Editor of Annals of
Internal Medicine, has rightly advised the physicians to put the interest of their pa ent before themselves and
spend me with the pa ent under their care to return to their health. They have to be devoted to their duty and
strive hard to achieve sa sfac on by carrying out their work with competence. Their love for the work will give
dividends in the form of apprecia on by the pa ents.

The physician must conduct himself with dignity and decorum. The physician, who regards compassion for
st
living beings as his highest religion, fulfils his mission and obtains the highest happiness. The charter of 21 century
highlights the ideals enunciated by Charaka long ago. ‘Physician who is the chief in the medical prac ce must be
knowledgeable and resourceful, honest and pure in his purpose and conduct, and competent. It will go a long way
in improving the quality of care provided to the pa ents. He must uphold scien fic standards and promote
research, which is of benefit to the pa ents’.
American Board of Internal Medicine while describing a ributes and behaviour of Physicians has stated
that he must have a commitment i) to the highest standards of excellence in his prac ce of medicine and
genera on and dissemina on of knowledge, ii) to an a tude and behaviour that sustain the interest and welfare
of the pa ents, and iii) to be responsible for the health needs of the Society. As a caregiver, the physician must
rededicate himself to the commitment to professionalism.
It is appropriate to quote the statement of Harvard Physician, Francis Peabody (2) that states, ‘The good
physician knows his pa ent through and through, and his knowledge is brought dearly. Time, sympathy, and
understanding must be lavishly dispensed, but the reward is to be found in the personal bond, which forms the
greatest sa sfac on of the prac ce of medicine. One of the essen al quali es of the clinician is interest in
humanity, for the secret of the care of the pa ent is in caring for the pa ent’.
Nadoja Dr P S Shankar, MD, FRCP (Lond), FAMS, DSc (Gul, NTR, RGUHS, TU),
Visi ng Professor of Medicine, KAHER, Belagavi

References:
1.Medical Professionalism in the new millennium: a physician charter. Ann Intern Med. 2002; 136: 243-6
2.Peabody PW. The care of the pa ent. J A M A. 1927; 88: 877-82
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