In recent years the medical profession has been revolutionised in the fields of research, of technology and of practice. At the same time, while community attitudes themselves change, group practices have taken some weight from doctors but perhaps have diminished the doctor/ patient relationship of previous years.
Another change in the oversight of the medical profession has been the growth of what is called medical ethics. What, for example, is the amount of information a doctor should give a patient prior to performing an experimental procedure?
Amongst all these changes there are still fundamental issues where doctors have to use their personal judgment as to what to do or what to say.
