Ethics and Professionalism 2016.

Whether a reaction to events in the clinical arena, a consequence of technological innovation, or the legitimization of the marked ethos in health care, the field of medical ethics has become a complex domain in our time. Indeed, the ubiquity of ethical dilemmas in the provision of health care is well documented with more than 99% of primary care physicians reporting ethical problems arising in the conduct of their practices (1-3). Although commentary relating to this domain has most often originated in the primary care setting, hospital-based medicine and its ethics committees are another fertile source, as is medical research. Yet when one examines subspecialty medicine, a remarkable dearth of analysis and discourse pertaining to medical ethics emerges. This discussion is an attempt to address this deficit, at least as it pertains to one subspecialty: rheumatology. Leading with a brief overview of medical ethics , perceptions concerning the ethical challenges arising in current rheumatic disease practice will be presented, hopefully enhancing awareness and sensitivity to the ethical challenges arising in modern day medical practice.