My Pledge to My Patients, Physicians for Compassionate Care (Oregon, 1996), Program in Human Rights and Medicine in the Medical School at the University of Minnesota

I will treat the sick according to my best ability and judgment, always striving to do no harm. I will never give a deadly drug to anyone even if asked, nor will I suggest suicide.

Whenever I care for a terminally-ill patient, I will give comfort care until natural death. I will also support my patients' wishes not to prolong the dying process with futile care.

Whatever I see or hear in the course of medical practice, I will keep private and confidential. I will always avoid sexual involvement with my patients.

I will always affirm and guard these ethical principles with integrity, recognizing that every human life is inherently valuable.

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Last modified on Thursday Feb 09, 2006

This page is located at http://www.med.umn.edu//phrm/oaths/pledgepcc.html