 |
 |

Should Physicians Prioritize Their Activities to Address Patients' Wants or Patients' Needs?
Arch Ophthalmol. 2004;122:1376-1378.
 |
 |
| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
|
 |
 |
Toward the end of a recent conference, two ophthalmologists sketched out their thoughts about possible future directions in the field of ophthalmology. One discussed a way to decrease the need for wearing glasses to improve vision and the other a method of bringing care to those who are presently underserved. These issues and others like them are not new to medical conferences. However, the different implications of the two presentations are, I believe, worth pondering.
We all make choices. Even if that assumption is wrong, and in fact we are completely preprogrammed, completely determined by environment, or we are a combination of "nature" and "nurture," it feels as if we make choices. Ethics is all about those choices we make (or seem to make).1-5 Some of the choices seem relatively trivial, such as whether to choose chocolate or vanilla ice cream for dessert, whereas others seem relatively momentous, such as . . . [Full Text of this Article]
George L. Spaeth, MD
|