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Peering into the Gift Horse: Is It Ethical to Accept Gifts from Patients?

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Dermatoethics
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Abstract

Although the giving of gifts by patients to their physicians has been a long-standing and common practice, it has received scant attention in the bioethics literature in comparison to gifts to physicians from industry, and only very recently has it received attention in professional codes of ethics [1–3]. In addition, a high profile case involving the dying Beatles singer George Harrison and his radiation oncologist also brought the issue to the forefront in the press [4]. This chapter will address the question of whether and under what circumstances it is ethical for physicians to accept gifts from patients.

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References

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Correspondence to Lionel Bercovitch .

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Bercovitch, L. (2012). Peering into the Gift Horse: Is It Ethical to Accept Gifts from Patients?. In: Bercovitch, L., Perlis, C. (eds) Dermatoethics. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2191-6_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2191-6_13

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