Contextualizing the Physician Charter on Professionalism in Qatar: From Patient Autonomy to Family Autonomy.

BACKGROUND

The Physician Charter on medical professionalism has been endorsed by professional organizations worldwide, yet it is unclear if this Western framework of professionalism is applicable in non-Western countries.

OBJECTIVE

This study examines how physicians practicing in a Middle Eastern context perceive the terms, principles, and commitments outlined in the charter.

METHODS

In May 2013, the authors conducted 6 focus groups with 43 clinician-educators practicing at Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha, Qatar, to discuss the applicability of the Physician Charter in a local context. The research team coded and analyzed transcripts to identify sociocultural influences on professionalism.

RESULTS

Participants generally expressed agreement with the applicability of the charter's principles to physician professionalism in Qatar. However, 3 contextual factors (religious beliefs and practices, family-centered decision making, and multinationality) complicated the application of the core principles of patient autonomy and social justice. Islamic beliefs reinforced the importance of professional values such as altruism, but presented a barrier to the principle of self-determination for female patients. The family-centered culture in Qatar called for enlarging the scope of patient-centered decision making to include the patient's family. Qatar's multinational population prompted debate over equal treatment and how to conceptualize and implement the principle of social justice.

CONCLUSIONS

Several sociocultural contexts influence the conceptualization of the principles of medical professionalism in Qatar. The findings suggest that contextual factors should be considered when developing or adopting a professionalism framework in an international setting and context.