Letter to the Editor

On “The Patient–Resident Covenant”

Authors: Melissa A. Barnhart, MD, Christopher D. Jackson, MD

Abstract

To the Editor: The first oath that physicians take is the Hippocratic Oath. It is an oath to uphold the highest professional standards and define a moral code for ethical behavior. It is unsurprising that we also affirm a covenant between ourselves and our patients. The twin pillars of oath and covenant are central to the development of resident physicians; however, in modern medical training, there are additional accountabilities: hospitals, managed healthcare organizations, medical licensing, regulatory authorities, and courts of law.1 These often opposing obligations create tension and frustration for the modern physician and trainee.

This content is limited to qualifying members.

Existing members, please login first

If you have an existing account please login now to access this article or view purchase options.

Purchase only this article ($25)

Create a free account, then purchase this article to download or access it online for 24 hours.

Purchase an SMJ online subscription ($75)

Create a free account, then purchase a subscription to get complete access to all articles for a full year.

Purchase a membership plan (fees vary)

Premium members can access all articles plus recieve many more benefits. View all membership plans and benefit packages.

References

1. Williams JR, World Medical Association. Medical Ethics Manual. Ferney-Voltaire, France: World Medical Association; 2015
 
2. Crawshaw R, Rogers DE, Pellegrino ED, et al. The patient-physician covenant. JAMA 1995; 273:1553
 
3. Frush BW. The patient–resident physician covenant. South Med J 2022;115:24–25
 
4. Schneider E, Shah A, Doty M, et al. Mirror, mirror 2021: reflecting poorly: health care in the U.S. compared to other high-income countries. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2021-08/Schneider_Mirror_Mirror_2021.pdf. Published 2021. Accessed April 12, 2022
 
5. Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. Physician oaths. https://www.aapsonline.org/ethics/oaths.htm#lasagna. Accessed April 12, 2022.