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International education a primary role of AAO Ethics Committee, chairman says
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MIAMI — The American Academy of Ophthalmology's Ethics Committee is working to educate surgeons and surgical residents about its ethical code, both in the United States and abroad, according to the committee chairman.
Charles M. Zacks, MD, discussed some of the common issues addressed by the committee here at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute's Inter-American Course in Clinical Ophthalmology.
The committee was formed in 1979 and became officially active in 1984 after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission approved its code of ethics. The goals of the nine-member committee include creating an international dialogue on ethics, sharing ethics education and working with supranational societies in developing ethical codes, Dr. Zacks said.
The committee's code of ethics is divided into three sections — principles, rules and administrative procedures.
The focus of the "principles" section is that each ophthalmologist must act in the best interest of the patient and must show compassion for the patient, respect his or her dignity, and practice truthfulness and confidentiality. The principles also state that unethical behavior of other surgeons should be discouraged.
The "rules" section outlines enforceable standards, Dr. Zacks said. He described several specific rules, including Rule No. 1, which states that the surgeon must be competent, and other rules governing informed consent, advertising, and the impaired physician.
The "procedures" section describes the structure of committees, such as investigation or enforcement.
"The code of ethics is a living document," Dr. Zacks said. "We respond to new developments with revisions and interpret the code and write advisory opinions when new issues come up. In rare cases we will propose and draft new rules."
The committee also has the primary role of educating and assisting the AAO in policy development as new issues arise.
Dr. Zacks said the ethics code is available on the AAO Web site, and programs are available to assist with resident education.