Ethical issues in gastroenterology

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Special Topic Digestive Diseases 2002, Vol. 20, No. 3-4 The industrialized world of the 21st century has seen a dramatic explosion of knowledge and biotechnology in relation to medicine, a circumstance which created new ethical dilemmas for researchers, clinicians and ethicists. Professionalism in gastroenterology should not solely concentrate on clinical and endoscopic skills, but combine them with the humanistic and ethical aspects of medicine. However, publications on ethics with regard to gastroenterology have been rare, a fact which might explain the finding published in this issue that only about 50% of a representative sample of European gastroenterologists have read an article on medical ethics over the past 10 years. In order to improve the present situation, this publication addresses various issues such as informed consent, preventive screening in a low-risk (normal) population, equipment re-processing or publication ethics. It is highly recommended that gastroenterologists, surgeons and internists read this publication as both doctor and patient will benefit from the clarification of various ethical dilemmas.