MEDICAL PROFESSIONALISM PROJECT — PHYSICIAN CHARTER: IN BRIEF
November 2001 Annual AAMC Meeting
ABIM Foundation, ACP-ASIM Foundation, European Federation of Internal Medicine

Principle of Primacy of Patient Welfare

• Trust, built on altruism, is central to care
• Patient interest always outweighs social, administrative, financial pressures

Principle of Patient Autonomy

• Physicians must openly share information with patients
• Patients must be empowered with right to choose appropriate care pathways

Principle of Justice

• Resources must be distributed equitably
• Eliminate all forms of health care discrimination

Commitment to professional competence

• Lifelong learning and maintenance of skills
• Partakes in continuing educational and evaluative opportunities

Commitment to honesty with patients

• Complete informed consent prior to, during and following treatment
• Acknowledgment of errors to patients and peers

Commitment to patient confidentiality

• Preservation of patient confidentiality
• Recognition of increasing pressures from technological, scientific advances
• Public health can override confidentiality in unique circumstances

Commitment to maintaining appropriate relations with patients

• Avoidance of sexual, financial, other exploitation of patients

Commitment to improving quality of care

• Dedication to continuous improvement
• Working collaboratively to reduce medical error, increase patient safety, minimize overuse of health care resources, optimize outcomes of care
• Encouragement of living wills, proxy decision making

Commitment to improving access to care

• Uniform and sufficient care for all patients
• Elimination of discrimination and barriers to access
• Advocacy for public health and preventive care

Commitment to a just distribution of finite resources

• Cost-effective management of limited resources
• Balance between needs of individual patients and the wider public

Commitment to scientific knowledge

• Maintenance of scientific integrity and standards
• Promotion of valid research agendas

Commitment to maintaining trust by managing conflicts of interest

• Avoidance of inappropriate conflicts with all profitable enterprises
• Obligation to recognize and disclose fully all legitimate conflicts

Commitment to professional responsibilities

• Participation in self-regulation, remediation, discipline as necessary
• Participation in standard-setting, assessment of all clinical and patient-oriented skills