Saeeditehrani Saeedeh, Parsapour Alireza, Nedjat Saharnaz, Kadivar Maliheh, Larijani Bagher
PhD Candidate in Medical Ethics, Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Assistant Professor, Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
J Med Ethics Hist Med. 2017 Sep 2;10:7. eCollection 2017.
Air pollution is among the environmental problems that adversely affect people's health. There is a close relationship between medicine and environment, and as a consequence, there are ethical considerations surrounding the problem of air pollution. The present research aimed to determine physicians' attitude toward their ethical responsibility regarding air pollution, and their role in reducing it. This was a qualitative research using content analysis, conducted in Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The focus group included 21 physicians with specialties and subspecialties in pediatrics, infectious diseases, pulmonology, gynecology, and midwifery selected through predetermined sampling along with 13 personal in-depth interviews. A number of questions were asked regarding physicians' ethical responsibility to decrease environmental crises, particularly air pollution. As a result, 4 themes and 20 subthemes were extracted by assessing the focus group and interviews. These four general themes included the role of a physician as 1) an ordinary person, 2) a special citizen and a role model, 3) a professional person with special personal and social commitments, and 4) an administrator of the healthcare system. In the present research, physicians acquired a special attitude toward air pollution. The research population mentioned physicians' impact as role models for the society, as well as their educational, supervisory, informative, promotional, and administrative roles among their most important obligations regarding air pollution. It is recommended to conduct further studies on physicians' knowledge, attitude and practice regarding their responsibility toward environmental issues in order to investigate this important matter further.
空气污染是对人们健康产生不利影响的环境问题之一。医学与环境之间存在着密切的关系，因此，围绕空气污染问题存在着伦理考量。本研究旨在确定医生对其在空气污染方面的伦理责任的态度，以及他们在减少空气污染方面的作用。这是一项在德黑兰医科大学进行的采用内容分析法的定性研究。焦点小组包括通过预定抽样选出的21名在儿科、传染病、肺病学、妇科和助产方面有专业和亚专业的医生，以及13次个人深度访谈。针对医生减少环境危机，特别是空气污染的伦理责任提出了一些问题。结果，通过评估焦点小组和访谈提取了4个主题和20个子主题。这四个总体主题包括医生作为1）普通人，2）特殊公民和榜样，3）有特殊个人和社会承诺的专业人员，以及4）医疗保健系统管理者的角色。在本研究中，医生对空气污染有了特殊的态度。研究人群提到医生作为社会榜样的影响，以及他们在空气污染方面最重要的义务中所起的教育、监督、信息、宣传和管理作用。建议进一步研究医生对其在环境问题上的责任的知识、态度和实践，以便进一步调查这个重要问题。
