Published 18 December 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a3035
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a3035
Editorials
Understanding the role of the doctor
A united view from the profession brings us closer
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
What is the role of the doctor? So asked Sir John Tooke, chair of the Medical Schools Council, in last year’s inquiry into UK doctors’ specialist training.1 As Tooke said, without clarity on the doctor’s role, we can’t know how best we should select, educate, and train doctors, or plan the future medical workforce. We have now received the profession’s answer—a consensus statement endorsed by a consortium of leaders of UK medicine.2
This isn’t the first attempt to define what it means to be a doctor. Nor will it be the last. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is updating its definition (box), and the World Health Organization and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development are drawing up their own. Many forces have converged to prompt these efforts: sociopolitical changes; scientific and technical progress; the end of deference and the democratisation of knowledge; the rise of chronic disease; and the
Fiona Godlee, editor
1 BMJ, London WC1H 9JR
fgodlee@bmj.com
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- Understanding Doctors as agents in particular Health Care Systems
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