Trustworthiness and Professionalism in Academic Medicine. 2020

Laurence B McCullough, and John H Coverdale, and Frank A Chervenak
L.B. McCullough is professor of obstetrics and gynecology, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, New York, and ethics scholar, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, New York. J.H. Coverdale is professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and of medical ethics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. F.A. Chervenak is professor and chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and associate dean for international education, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, New York, and chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, New York.

Trustworthiness is the cornerstone professional virtue in the practice of medicine. The authors' goals for this Invited Commentary were to provide an account of the professional virtue of trustworthiness and its historical origins as well as to suggest how trustworthiness in a professional curriculum can be taught and assessed. They identified 2 components of trustworthiness that originate in the work of John Gregory (1724-1773) and Thomas Percival (1740-1804), who invented the ethical concept of medicine as a profession. The first is intellectual trust, the commitment to scientific and clinical excellence. The second is moral trust, the primary commitment of physicians and health care organizations to promote and protect the interest of patients while keeping individual and group interests secondary. Teaching should focus first on the mastery and understanding of the conceptual vocabulary of intellectual and moral trust through a range of formats, including modeling by faculty on how they respect and treat patients and learners. Assessment should be behaviorally based and articulated in increasing, observable, and integrated levels of mastery through training. Medical educators and academic leaders also share the responsibility to inculcate and sustain an organizational culture of professionalism that is respectful, critically self-appraising, accountable, and committed to its learners and to the promotion of physician well-being. These proposals can be used by medical educators and academic leaders to assist learners to become and remain trustworthy physicians.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007857 Leadership The function of directing or controlling the actions or attitudes of an individual or group with more or less willing acquiescence of the followers. Influentials
D010819 Physician's Role The expected function of a member of the medical profession. Physicians' Role,Physician Role,Physician's Roles,Physicians Role,Physicians' Roles,Role, Physician's,Role, Physicians',Roles, Physician's,Roles, Physicians'
D010820 Physicians Individuals licensed to practice medicine. Physician
D003479 Curriculum A course of study offered by an educational institution. Curricula,Short-Term Courses,Course, Short-Term,Courses, Short-Term,Short Term Courses,Short-Term Course
D004501 Education, Medical Use for general articles concerning medical education. Medical Education
D004992 Ethics, Medical The principles of professional conduct concerning the rights and duties of the physician, relations with patients and fellow practitioners, as well as actions of the physician in patient care and interpersonal relations with patient families. Medical Ethics
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000068616 Professionalism The level of skill, good judgment, and polite behavior expected from people trained to do their jobs well. Medical Professionalism,Professionalism Education,Surgical Professionalism,Education, Professionalism,Professionalism, Medical,Professionalism, Surgical
D015279 Organizational Culture Beliefs and values shared by all members of the organization. These shared values, which are subject to change, are reflected in the day to day management of the organization. Corporate Culture,Corporate Cultures,Culture, Corporate,Culture, Organizational,Cultures, Corporate,Cultures, Organizational,Organizational Cultures
D035502 Trust Confidence in or reliance on a person or thing.

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