The Death of the Doctor’s Oath?

The Death of the Doctor’s Oath?

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Did you take the Hippocratic Oath when you graduated from medical school, and if so, what did the doctor’s oath mean to you? Do the words still apply to your physician job today?

The Hippocratic Oath is an oath that physicians take when graduating medical school. The oath has them promise things such as to treat the sick to the best of their ability, preserve patient privacy and teach the secrets of medicine to the next generation. Basically – do no harm, but always strive to do the best you can do. Sounds good, right? Although it is one of the oldest binding documents in the history of the world, the oath might eventually fade away, according to a recent study. The study revealed that younger physicians care much less about the doctor’s oath than older physicians. There are also fewer physicians reciting the oath when graduating from medical school than there were before, the study revealed. Some physicians are saying that the doctor’s oath is not important anymore because the words that make up the oath are inadequate or irrelevant to the healthcare industry as it stands today. For example, the medical world has so many aspects to it now, many of which were unheard of in the times when the Hippocratic Oath originated, such as legal abortions, physician-assisted suicide, and other scientific developments. Yet, older physicians still tend to cling to the ancient tradition, the survey said.

Impact of the Doctor’s Oath on Physicians

doctor's oath

The survey also examined whether or not the doctor’s oath, because it focuses on putting patients first, contributes to physician burnout and if physicians can even put patients first in today’s healthcare environment. Almost half of the physicians surveyed who were under 34 years old – 47 percent – said the oath contributed to physician burnout, while only 27 percent of those 65 years and older felt that way. When asked if they were able to put patients first in the current healthcare environment, only 12 percent of the doctors under 34 said “always,” but 40 percent of doctors 65 years and older felt they could put patients first.

The Hippocratic Oath has been changed many times over the years. There is the original version as well as several slightly modified versions to adjust it to fit the times. An example of how some of the phrases in the oath of been altered include:

  • Classic Version: “I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfill according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant…”
  • Modern Version: “I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant…”

Here is a table showing various answers to the question: As a medical student, which version of the doctor’s oath did you recite?

Answer 65 and Older (%) Under 34 (%) All Physicians (%) Med Students (%)
Hippocratic Oath (original version) 64 39 56 33
I didn’t take an oath 17 14 14 19
An oath written by my med school faculty 4 17 9 19
Declaration of Geneva (1948) 4 13 6 11
Modernized oath by Louis Lasagna (1954) 3 9 5 7
Oath by Maimonides 5 2 3 1
Alternative written by med school class 0 2 1 6
Alternative version I wrote myself 0 0 0 1
Other 2 4 4 4

Author: Locum Jobs Online

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2 Comments

  1. I am not a doctor. But I am a self-taught naturopath who believes that doctors should always seek first to do the minimal amount of harm necessary to treat their patients and maintain strict confidentiality. Though confidentiality is a mute point thanks to the laws of HIPPA. But if doctors were truly doing their best to “do no harm” they would seek natural remedies first and foremost as the side-effects are negligible, and often heal the body as opposed to masking symptoms with medicines that do more harm than good over the long run. Just my opinion.

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  2. I am a 100℅ disabled veteran and am 64 years old and like most people my age have many problems with my health. In today’s world it is my belief that most doctors today don’t care at all about the patient, and have found that most of them are more concerned about what kind of insurance u have then anything else. For example, I have never had a history of migraines before until about 3 weeks ago and have tried several times to get help with my problem without any luck. I also have severe arthritis degenerative bone disease emphysema COPD the name a few of the other problems. The pain is so bad that I’ve had to take pain meds just to make it through each day. Well since the DEA has got involved with the meds a doctor can prescribed it has gotten very hard to find a doctor who will write any scrip in lieu of losing their license. The thing that bothers me most is why a doctor who has went to med school is going to let any DEA agent tell him that what he or she has learned in school me means nothing and what’s more important is to just let the patient go in suffering with the pain and to worry more about losing their license that they received after many years of schooling. It has been about 4 months not and I still haven’t found a doctor who will write my scripts. I live with in las Vegas nv and if any doctor reads this and can help please do my mailing address is 4080 Paradise rd #15/197 las Vegas nv 89169 and my name is john s. Our world has changed so much since Marcus Welby a TV doctor that cared more about a patient then the DEA or what N kind of insurance u have. So much for the Hippocratic Oath

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