Abstract
“Do no harm,” a cornerstone in the foundation of the patient safety movement, is an ethical norm derived from the principle of nonmaleficence. Yet somehow the discussion of ethics remains largely implicit in the public dialogue about patient safety. This chapter provides a review of the ethical perspective on patient safety in surgery through review of the moral obligations and ethical norms that apply in the patient-surgeon relationship versus public health, and a discussion of how to apply these to patient safety in surgery. The chapter concludes with a discussion about next steps for advancing patient safety from an ethics perspective, which includes: a systematic approach to tracking and reporting; increased transparency; improved integration of the research culture; surgeon support and communication skills training; and integration of ongoing ethics education into surgical practice.
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Caldes, E.P. (2014). The Ethical Perspective. In: Stahel, P., Mauffrey, C. (eds) Patient Safety in Surgery. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4369-7_29
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4369-7_29
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