Analysis of public disciplinary sanctions for violations of the medical code of ethics
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Abstract
Introduction: Physicians must adhere to a set of ethical, technical, and legal standards in the practice of their profession.
Objective: To analyze the main public ethical-disciplinary sanctions applied to physicians by the Regional Council of Medicine of Paraná (CRM-PR).
Method: A retrospective documentary study was conducted using a secondary database available on the CRM-PR website, covering the period from 2015 to 2022.
Results: A total of 298 public ethical-disciplinary sanctions were imposed, consisting of 228 public censures, 54 suspensions, and 16 revocations. There was an 83% increase in sanctions over these 7 years. Among the 203 professionals sanctioned, the majority were male (83%) and did not have a medical specialty registration (50%). The most common infractions involved disobeying ethical rulings and resolutions, as well as causing harm to patients. The maximum penalty, loss of the right to practice the profession, was a result of multiple factors. The six revoked physicians had an average of 2 previous public sanctions and violated an average of 4, 5 articles per case, with violations ranging from one to eight articles. Additionally, 50% of the revoked doctors were registered with two professional councils.
Conclusion: Ethical integrity should be valued not only as a preventive measure to avoid lawsuits and their consequences but also as a guiding principle for the dignified and responsible practice of medicine.
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References
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