From Intl Med U-Malaysia: The pre-employment medical - Ethical dilemmas for GPs

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23550254

Aust Fam Physician. 2013 Apr;42(4):249-51.

The pre-employment medical - Ethical dilemmas for GPs.

Thuraisingham C, Nalliah S.

Source

MBBS, FAFP, FRACGP, AM, DRM, PDOH, is Senior Lecturer, Department of Family Medicine, Clinical School, International Medical University, Jalan Rasah, Seremban, Malaysia.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

In many workplaces, employment is conditional on a successful pre-employment medical examination. This examination is usually conducted by a general practitioner on the employers' panel of approved clinics or by an in-house company doctor.

OBJECTIVE:

This article uses a case study to illustrate some of the ethical dilemmas that may be faced by GPs in the course of performing a pre-employment medical examination.

DISCUSSION:

Ethical issues discussed in this article include: Is it ethical for employers (based on physicians' reports) to select workers based on 'absence of illness' rather than 'fitness for work'? Should physicians divulge the illness of potential workers to third parties? What are the boundaries of a clinician's duty of care in the pre-employment medical examination setting?