The importance of ethics in the practice of medicine was manifested at least 2,500 years ago in the Hippocratic tradition, which emphasized the virtues that were expected to characterize and guide the behavior of physicians.
As medical technology has expanded and the role of physicians has evolved, preventive medicine physicians have had to face complex ethical questions. Medical knowledge alone is not sufficient to address these questions, instead responsible decisions depend on thoughtful consideration of the values, interests, goals, rights and obligations of those involved. All of these are the concern of medical ethics.
ACPM has adopted a formal code of ethics to guide its work. As a member of a physician organization committed to strengthening the ethics of preventive and population medicine, through your membership application and subsequent yearly renewal, you pledge to uphold the ACPM Code of Ethics, to comply with the Bylaws of the American College of Preventive Medicine and to be governed by the ACPM Committee on Ethics Due Process Guidelines.
You also agree to inform the ACPM Committee on Ethics (ethics@acpm.org) of any breaches of the Code of Ethics committed by you or other ACPM members and any adverse action reports made to the National Practitioner Data Bank.
ACPM Code of Ethics Resources: