Do Doctors Really Follow Codes of Ethics?

There is an interesting article posted on "in the news" on blackboard, discussing codes of ethics and different cultures' use of them. Apparently, few doctors worldwide actually abide by their country's codes of ethics and many do not feel that they have that large of an influence on their practice. It's scary to hear this because if there is no standard to follow when practicing medicine, what are these doctors actually going by? Their gut? The influence of other doctors? What the patient wants/what the family wants? Who knows! The article points out that doctors do know that codes of ethics exist, but they often still fail to refer to them. Potentially, they are not effective in real-life practice, but why, then, has no one said anything? Why have they not been amended to fit the standards of today's technology and healthcare? The article goes on to discuss different cultural values and what or whom is ranked as a top priority for doctors. In the US, the individual patient is viewed as his or her own entity, entitled to make 100% of their own decisions in any situation. Patient autonomy is placed at very high value among all medical professionals (or at least, should be). In contrast, many other countries feel that the family should make important decisions for the patient. The article says, "A Confucian doctor practicing in Canada may speak to the family instead on the individual," and goes on to explain that a concept we (in the US) may find unethical is completely acceptable in many other societies. Abortion, for example, is accepted in other cultures because they believe that a child doesn't take their first breath until they are born. It is very interesting to read about the values and norms in other countries/cultures and comparing them with the underlying beliefs and perspectives in the US.