Ethics manual for physicians is updated

CHICAGO, April 11 (UPI) -- The American College of Physicians has updated its ethics manual, which provides guidelines for U.S. doctors encountering ethical issues.

While adherence to the guidelines from the nation's largest medical specialty group is not mandatory, physicians and hospitals often refer to the manual when addressing ethical questions, according to Dr. William Golden, chairman of the college's Ethics and Human Rights Committee.

"We have a fair amount of influence," Golden told the Chicago Sun-Times.

For example, the guidelines say a physician is not obligated to recommend, perform or prescribe an abortion, sterilization or contraception. But the guidelines say a doctor has a duty to tell patients about reproduction options or refer them to other physicians.

The guidelines also say caution doctors with practices involving affluent patients who pay annual retainers for 24-hour access and same-day appointments "risk compromising their professional obligation to care for the poor."