Code of ethics for The Japanese Association for Chest Surgery (hereafter referred to as the "Association") and its members (hereafter referred to as "Association Members")
Revised on May 13, 2010 (Articles 6 and 7 added)
- 1. Association Members shall assign top priority to the lives and benefits of their patients in accordance with the code of medical ethics.
- 2. Association Members shall strive to acquire the latest knowledge and skills in their specific and related areas of expertise throughout their careers.
- 3. Association Members shall clearly diagnose and explain the symptoms of diseases to their patients or patients' family members. To provide a satisfactory explanation, Association Members shall offer scientifically-based medical treatment choices and opinions based on their expertise, devise a treatment plan while respecting the wishes of their patients or patients' family members, and provide the best medical care.
- 4. Association Members shall strive to provide the best medical care in cooperation with the staff of various occupations, such as physicians with other areas of expertise, nurses, paramedics, as well as the staff of welfare and administrative divisions.
- 5. To contribute to the development of their areas of expertise and also to all fields of medicine and medical care, Association Members shall strive to conduct medical research, develop medical technologies, and disseminate them in compliance with the basic principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
- 6. If Association Members encounter issues involving a conflict of interest in their activities, such as in the presentation or publication of papers, educational activities, and management of the Association, they shall report such issues to the Association to ensure justice, transparency, and independence.
- 7. If Association Members encounter issues involving a conflict of interest in medical practice, they shall disclose the issue to their patients.
- 8. To provide safe and high-quality medical care to the public, the Association shall provide education in medical safety, seminars on medical technologies, and conferences for Association Members.
- 9. To improve the quality of medical services provided by the institutions to which the Association Members belong, the Association shall collect medical information on the institutions and disclose it to the public.
- 10. The Association shall appropriately deal with medical ethics problems and medical malpractice cases involving Association Members.
- 11. The Association shall strive to train Association Members so that they will be able to participate in not only general thoracic surgery, but also treatment for external injury, disaster-response medical services, and international medical collaboration.
References
Japan Medical Association: Code of medical ethics (April 1, 2000)
Japan Medical Association: Professional ethics guideline for physicians (December 2004)
The Declaration of Geneva (1994)
International Code of Medical Ethics (1983)
The Declaration of Helsinki (2000)
The Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery: Code of ethics (May 2005)
The Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine: Code of ethics for intensive care (September 2005)