The Medical Professionalism Blog

This week’s Recommended Reading includes articles on key professionalism tenets, including avoidance of conflicts of interest and wise use of health care tests and procedures.

• Authors of a new JAMA commentary cite the Choosing Wisely^® campaign as one of several recent initiatives addressing the physician’s role in health care expenditures. They then call for a new model of medical education that celebrates restraint in ordering health care tests and procedures.

• In “Strides in Medicine, and Their Price,” Lawrence Altman notes that recent technological advances in medicine have improved care in many ways. However, these newer technologies can be prone to overuse, resulting in unnecessary expenses and potential harm to patients.

• Ethicist Howard Brody reflects on the relationship between medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Brody argues that these relationships present professionalism challenges regarding conflicts of interest, along with clinical, public health and business ethics.