PREAMBLE
The appropriate blend of compassion and objectivity in the provision of surgical care has become steadily more difficult in a world of increasing technology and decreasing resources.
In such a depersonalised environment, it is imperative that the surgical ethic preserves the patient's dignity, individuality and autonomy.
For the surgeon, the conflict between altruism and self interest should be resolved by doing what is right for the patient, if necessary at a cost of personal sacrifice and legitimate self interest.
This Code of Ethics is necessarily broad and will not answer every situation which may arise in surgical practice. The provisions may need to be applied in a flexible manner, depending upon the particular factors which prevail at that moment.
What follows is in no way intended as a set of rules. It is simply a guide as to the manner in which a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College
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