The Hippocratic Oath and Medical Ethics

Since approximately 400 BC, there has been records of the Hippocratic oath, with its earliest forms originating between 3-5 BC. It is one of the oldest binding documents in medicine and is known universally through various sources-lately more from pop culture-but we should know much more than just the surface level information, and we should rediscover the true principles of ethics it is based upon.

Considerations of the body and mind in relation to health and treatment can be seen as far back as ancient Greece with the Hippocratic Corpus, a collection of early medical works which are traditionally associated with Hippocrates of Kos (known as “the father of medicine”) but the exact author or authors are uncertain. The corpus is an important text and presents a great shift in medicine which drew away from supernatural explanations of illness and disease and emphasised natural causes of disease, empirical observations and holistic patient care. It also offered a foundation for ethical principles in medicine well into the 19th century and it also maintains its influence in shaping medical ethics.

The Hippocratic oath is found in the corpus and is a code of ethics for physicians to follow which lays out the importance of patient care, confidentiality and ethical conduct when working in a healthcare setting. While it is a text that is very aged, it is one of the cornerstones of ethics and is a framework for physicians to use as a moral compass and guide them in their conduct in clinical, ethical and legal contexts. As these professionals deal with peoples lives at their most vulnerable moments it is key that they are taught to live by values and standards which hold the patients care and confidentiality at its core so they can navigate any situation they are given.

Some critics argue that the original oath is outdated because of major changes in the world of medicine and in society itself; as it is everchanging due to world events and also simply due to evolution over the passage of time, with new technology and methods in medical practice, so many institutions have adapted its principals to reflect contemporary ethical challenges. This evolution ensures that the oath remains relevant and applicable to modern medical practice. One of the examples of changes in medical ethics is The Declaration of Geneva, which is a slightly more modern, secular and globally oriented physicians pledge. It was adopted by the World Medical Association (WMA) in 1948 in response to the medical atrocities committed in the Nazi regime and by the Japanese army. This change translated the Hippocratic oaths moral principles into a form more understandable and applicable in contemporary medicine, it made physicians more dedicated to humanitarian goals of medicine and focused on human rights of patients as well.

Medical ethics must also shift to allow the consideration of new technology. An example of this is the rise of AI (artificial intelligence) which has made its way into every industry and altered how people work. This has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to release guidelines on the ethical use of AI in medical decision making as it can pose dilemmas such as privacy, data protection and informed consent of the patients, but it can also improve and enhance healthcare by lowering human error and effort in analysing medical data, detection of diseases and forming treatment plans from data it is given about a patient and all of these can improve patient outcomes, but these uses still need human oversight for fair and safeguarded revolution. Collaborating with technologists, the healthcare industry can create ethical frameworks that support AI adoption and these changes reflect a growing recognition of the need to balance innovation with ethical considerations of medical practices and patient care.

Overall, we can see the colossal impact that the Hippocratic Oath and its origin text had on the formation of medical ethics which is a growing and evolving branch of ethics, guiding the direction of healthcare.