The Medical Professionalism : The Crisis and Challenges(Professionalism in Psychosomatic Medicine)

Abstract

Professionalism has become a hot topic in medicine, especially in medical education, because it is one of the important core competencies of physicians. Recently, medical professionalism might be taught and evaluated during undergraduate and/or residency. Otherwise medical professionalism has been notoriously difficult to define and remains poorly understood. Historically, 'professionalism' was defined by the social structures of medicine, but has moved on to represent the expected behaviors and attributes of practitioners. Three organizations of internal medicine then issued a "physician charter of professionalism" that spelled out three fundamental principles (primacy of patient welfare, patient autonomy, and social justice) and ten commitments. At present, the medical profession is confronted with an explosion of technology, changing market forces, problems in health care delivery, bioterrorism, and globalization. As a result, physicians find it increasingly difficult to meet their responsibilities to patients and society. In these circumstances, reaffirming the fundamental and universal principles and values of medical professionalism, which remain ideals to be pursued by all physicians, becomes all the more important. On the other hand, a large number of today's medical students, residents, and young physicians seem to want more time for themselves. They want to limit time commitments to medicine. The future of medicine as a profession is a bit shaky.