Introduction to Ethics in Medicine

Matthias Girke

Last update: 07.09.2020

Assessments and therapeutic measures used in medical and therapeutic practice are determined by the values and basic assumptions of one’s view of the human being. Elderly patients in intensive care challenge us in our therapeutic decision-making process, while cancer patients are faced with decisions regarding the often limited effectiveness of the systemic therapy recommended to them. Therapeutically relevant questions are not just concerned with what is “effective” and potentially “feasible”, but with what is beneficial for the patient, i.e. with what he or she considers to be “good”. The three pillars of David Sacket’s evidence-based medicine – external evidence, individual expertise and patient preference – only become complete when a positive patient benefit assessment is included.
Basic concepts of illness and recovery, the patient-doctor relationship and ethical decision-making all depend on the doctor’s view of the human being and are weighted against and determined by it.

Research news

Phase IV trial: Kalium phosphoricum comp. versus placebo in irritability and nervousness 
In a new clinical study, Kalium phosphoricum comp. (KPC) versus placebo was tested in 77 patients per group. In a post-hoc analysis of intra-individual differences after 6 weeks treatment, a significant advantage of KPC vs. placebo was shown for characteristic symptoms of nervous exhaustion and nervousness (p = 0.020, p = 0.045 respectively). In both groups six adverse events (AE) were assessed as causally related to treatment (severity mild or moderate). No AE resulted in discontinuation in treatment. KPC could therefore be a beneficial treatment option for symptomatic relief of neurasthenia. The study has been published open access in Current Medical Research and Opinion
https://doi.org/10.1080/03007995.2023.2291169.


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