The possibility of allowing patients access to health professionals, has been greatly facilitated by advances in technology. Indeed, nowadays it is possible not only direct contact between one health professional with another, but also the possibility of sending images and other tests to consult distant colleagues. This has undoubtedly enabled better health care for many patients. It is also possible for a patient to consult a doctor directly in a remote and synchronous way with oral and visual contact, thus establishing a new form of medical consultation. It is this last way of relationship, which has already spread as a practice in normal times, which arouses apprehensions about the ethical requirements that a consultation must meet. This work by the Ethics Department of the Chilean Medical Association seeks to reflect on the ethical demands of a medical consultation and on the shortcomings that teleconsultation has. It also aims to propose several recommendations, so that this new form of doctor-patient relationship serves as a complement to traditional care, without jeopardizing the objectives of a medical action.

The discussion of a bill that allows medically assisted death (MAD) in Chile, revived the debate about the ethics of this practice. The Department of Ethics of the Chilean Medical Association herein analyzes arguments in favor or against the participation of the medical profession in MAD. Among the main arguments against the participation of physicians in this practice are that MAD conflicts with the basic ethical principles of medical practice, that it is contrary to the purposes of medicine and that it could erode the patients’ and society’s confidence in physicians. The arguments in favor are related to physician´s compassion and non-abandonment of patients during their illness, choosing palliative care and ushering them to the final instance. Additionally, there is social expectation that this practice will be carried out by trained physicians who can verify that the strict criteria established by the legislation are met, guarantee that it obeys to a repeated request of a fully capable patient, and who is able to deal with the complications of the procedure. In this document we aimed to represent the different perspectives about physicians’ participation in MAD, offering arguments to colleagues and stimulating their participation in this important debate.

Every so often, in Chile there is a discussion about the role of physicians in the care of people on hunger strike (HS). In this document, we review the ethical aspects of health care for persons in HS, aiming to provide guidelines to medical doctors who are required to attend them. First, we make an important distinction between HS and suicide, since the former is used as a protest and denunciation tool, while suicide seeks deliberately to end a life. Then we describe the three roles that the health professional can fulfill: as a treating doctor, as an expert or as an official of a prison. The respect for the autonomy and dignity of the person in HS must prevail whatever the role of the physician. Therefore, we maintain that under no circumstances, people who have autonomously decided to be in HS should be fed by force. Due to the complexity of the issue, we make special considerations about the management of minors and the non-competent persons in HS. In conclusion, we adhere to the principles that inspire the Declaration of Malta, which indicate that it would be preferable to “allow a person on hunger strike to die in dignity, rather than subjecting them to repeated interventions against their will”.

The Chilean bill that regulates abortion for three cases (Bulletin Nº 9895-11) includes the possibility that health professionals may manifest their conscientious objection (CO) to perform this procedure. Due to the broad impact that the issue of C O had, the Ethics Department of the Chilean College of Physicians considered important to review this concept and its ethical and legal basis, especially in the field of sexual and reproductive health. In the present document, we define the practical limit s of CO, both for the proper fulfillment of the medical profession obligations, and for the due respect and non-discrimination that the professional objector deserves. We analyze the denial of some health institutions to perform abortions if it is legalize d, and we end with recommendations adjusted to the Chilean reality. Specifically, we recognize the right to conscientious objection that all physicians who directly participate in a professional act have. But we a lso recognize that physicians have ineludib le obligations towards their patients, including the obligation to inform about the existence of this service, how to access to it and -as set out in our code of ethics- to ensure that another colleague will continue attending the patient.

O objetivo do presente estudo foi concentrar-se sobre as questões éticas e sociais decorrentes da implementação da eletrocardiografia transtelefônica (TTECG) no sector público da saúde no Chile, estudando a aceitação de pacientes e prestadores de cuidados de saúde e suas expectativas relativas a: (a) eficácia e segurança da TTECG; e (b) questões relacionadas com a proteção de dados, tais como a confidencialidade, privacidade e segurança. Para esse efeito, desenvolvemos dois questionários psicossociais; o primeiro foi dirigido a pacientes recebendo TTECG (quer em serviços de emergência de hospitais ou no distante atendimento primário), e o segundo foi destinado a prestadores de cuidados de saúde envolvidos em qualquer administração ou interpretando-a. Os resultados foram: (a) grande aceitabilidade das TTECG em termos de segurança; (b) a privacidade e a confidencialidade dos pacientes foram consideradas como bem protegidas; e (c) a relação médico-paciente não foi afetada por esse dispositivo.

The aim of this study was to focus on the ethical and social issues derived from the implementation of transtelephonic electrocardiography (TTECG) in the public healthcare sector in Chile, studying patients and healthcare providers' acceptance and expectations concerning: (a) TTECG effectiveness and safety; and (b) data protection issues, such as confidentiality, privacy and security. For this purpose, we developed two psychosocial surveys; the first was addressed to patients receiving transtelephonic electrocardiogram (either in the emergency services of hospitals or in distant primary care services) and the second one aimed at healthcare providers involved in either administering and/or interpreting it. Results included: (a) major acceptability of TTECG in terms of safety and security; (b) privacy and confidentiality of the patients were considered to be well protected; and (c) the patient-doctor relationship was not affected by this device.

El objetivo de este estudio fue centrarse en los asuntos éticos y sociales, derivados de la aplicación de la tele-electrocardiografía (TTECG), en el sector público de salud en Chile, estudiando la aceptación y expectativas de pacientes y proveedores de servicios de salud en relación con: (a) eficacia y seguridad de la TTECG; y (b) cuestiones relacionadas con la protección de datos, tales como la confidencialidad, privacidad y seguridad. Para este fin, aplicamos dos encuestas psicosociales; la primera fue dirigida a los pacientes que reciben TTECG (ya sea en los servicios de urgencias de los hospitales, o en servicios de atención primaria alejados) y la segunda dirigida a los profesionales de la salud dedicados a la aplicación y/o interpretación. Los resultados fueron los siguientes: (a) gran aceptabilidad de TTECG en términos de seguridad y protección; (b) se considera que la privacidad y confidencialidad de los pacientes están protegidos; y (c) la relación entre los pacientes y el médico no se considera afectada por este dispositivo.

O objetivo do presente estudo foi concentrar-se sobre as questões éticas e sociais decorrentes da implementação da eletrocardiografia transtelefônica (TTECG) no sector público da saúde no Chile, estudando a aceitação de pacientes e prestadores de cuidados de saúde e suas expectativas relativas a: (a) eficácia e segurança da TTECG; e (b) questões relacionadas com a proteção de dados, tais como a confidencialidade, privacidade e segurança. Para esse efeito, desenvolvemos dois questionários psicossociais; o primeiro foi dirigido a pacientes recebendo TTECG (quer em serviços de emergência de hospitais ou no distante atendimento primário), e o segundo foi destinado a prestadores de cuidados de saúde envolvidos em qualquer administração ou interpretando-a. Os resultados foram: (a) grande aceitabilidade das TTECG em termos de segurança; (b) a privacidade e a confidencialidade dos pacientes foram consideradas como bem protegidas; e (c) a relação médico-paciente não foi afetada por esse dispositivo.

The aim of this study was to focus on the ethical and social issues derived from the implementation of transtelephonic electrocardiography (TTECG) in the public healthcare sector in Chile, studying patients and healthcare providers' acceptance and expectations concerning: (a) TTECG effectiveness and safety; and (b) data protection issues, such as confidentiality, privacy and security. For this purpose, we developed two psychosocial surveys; the first was addressed to patients receiving transtelephonic electrocardiogram (either in the emergency services of hospitals or in distant primary care services) and the second one aimed at healthcare providers involved in either administering and/or interpreting it. Results included: (a) major acceptability of TTECG in terms of safety and security; (b) privacy and confidentiality of the patients were considered to be well protected; and (c) the patient-doctor relationship was not affected by this device.

El objetivo de este estudio fue centrarse en los asuntos éticos y sociales, derivados de la aplicación de la tele-electrocardiografía (TTECG), en el sector público de salud en Chile, estudiando la aceptación y expectativas de pacientes y proveedores de servicios de salud en relación con: (a) eficacia y seguridad de la TTECG; y (b) cuestiones relacionadas con la protección de datos, tales como la confidencialidad, privacidad y seguridad. Para este fin, aplicamos dos encuestas psicosociales; la primera fue dirigida a los pacientes que reciben TTECG (ya sea en los servicios de urgencias de los hospitales, o en servicios de atención primaria alejados) y la segunda dirigida a los profesionales de la salud dedicados a la aplicación y/o interpretación. Los resultados fueron los siguientes: (a) gran aceptabilidad de TTECG en términos de seguridad y protección; (b) se considera que la privacidad y confidencialidad de los pacientes están protegidos; y (c) la relación entre los pacientes y el médico no se considera afectada por este dispositivo.