Perspectives: professionalism and cardio-thoracic surgery

[...]One becomes a physician not to make a living, but to live a noble life.” [...]the environment surrounding health care has in recent years become extremely severe because the paucity of surgeons has resulted in each being burdened with a very heavy schedule, not only in Japan, but indeed, around the world. [...]professionalism in medicine has emerged as an important issue today as a result of innumerable factors. Charter on medical professionalism: fundamental principles and professional responsibilities Fundamental principles Principle of primacy of patient welfare Principle of patient autonomy Principle of social justice Professional responsibilities Commitment to professional competence Commitment to honesty with patients Commitment to patient confidentiality Commitment to maintaining appropriate relations with patients Commitment to improving quality of care Commitment to improving access to care Commitment to a just distribution of finite resources Commitment to scientific knowledge Commitment to maintaining trust by managing conflicts of interest Commitment to professional responsibilities Commitment to professional competence Physicians must be committed to lifelong learning and must be responsible for maintaining both the currency of their medical knowledge and the clinical and team skills necessary for the provision of quality care. Physicians must actively participate in the development of a better quality of care and in the application of quality measures to assess routinely the performance of all individuals, institutions, and systems responsible for health care delivery.