Perspectives of doctors, nurses and patients on physician's observance of professional ethics

Medical professionalism has recently received attention in Iran، so we aimed to assess it in a single specialty educational hospital. In the present study، we evaluated observation of medical ethics principles from the viewpoints of physicians، nurses and patients. Eight principles of medical ethics were evaluated in these three groups through modified questionnaires containing 43 questions for physicians، 42 questions for nurses، and 25 questions for patients. The mean scores of those principles are as: enhancing professional efficiency (68. 7 ± 23)، confidentiality (67. 9 ± 21)، maintaining an appropriate relationship with the patients (61. 7 ± 21)، improving access to services (59. 6 ± 21)، distributing limited resources fairly (60. 2 ± 25)، knowledge production (61. 4 ± 23)، promotion of trust through management of conflicts of interests (64. 8 ± 23)، and perform professional responsibilities (59. 6 ± 23). There were significant differences in the two parameters of “enhancing professional efficiency” and “confidentiality” between the viewpoints of the patients and the viewpoints of physicians and nurses (P < 0. 0001). The difference in “maintaining an appropriate relationship with the patients”، “improving access to services”، and “distributing limited resources fairly” was significant between the viewpoints of the nurses and that of the patients and physicians. The viewpoints of the nurses and patients were significantly different only in “knowledge production”، “promotion of trust through management of conflicts of interest”، and “perform professional responsibilities” (P < 0. 0001). With respect to these significant differences، the nurses’ viewpoint regarding “enhancing professional efficiency” may be more dependable due to their more accurate knowledge of the physicians’ performance and more extensive contact with them. This has also resulted in significant differences between nurses and patients or physicians in other principles as well.