Physician-patient relationship in dermatology: specificity of ethical issues

Abstract

The article deals with ethical aspects of physician-patient relationship in dermatology, and demonstrates their influence on success of diagnostic and treatment activities and level of satisfaction with quality of medical services. Special attention is paid to the specific nature of bioethical issues in dermatology, associated with visuality and peculiarities of the course of disease, emotional and physiological background and coexisting disorders. Special priority is given to effective strategies of physician-patient communication, respect for patient autonomy and protection of confidentiality both in clinical practice, and on the Internet. It is shown that linking personal and strategic social media accounts raises a number of ethical and legal issues, associated with obtaining voluntary informed consent, compliance with standards of corporate ethics, and perception of medical information by non-professional audience. In conclusion, compliance with principles and rules of biomedical ethics is important to set constructive relations in clinical dermatological practice, ensure social trust in medicine and prepare future specialists. It is also important to discuss ethical issues in a professional community, slowly forming an interdisciplinary space of communication between physicians, health officials, specialists in bioethics, medical law, psychology and sociology of medicine.