Perceptions on bioethics among general practitioners in Karachi, Pakistan

Objective: To study the perceptions on bioethics among general practitioners in Karachi, Pakistan. Design: A questionnaire based cross sectional survey. Settings: 85 general practitioners in Karachi were surveyed at their clinic premises. Main outcome measures: Perceptions on the broad principles of bioethics. Results: The majority of general practitioners were males, with mean age of 36.3 years, had minimal postgraduate qualifications and continuing medical education. They reported the top five moral duties of a physician and their reaction in the event of the death of a close relative due to a doctor's negligence. A significant number of respondents agreed that a "doctor is next to God". Other issues studied include discontinuation of artificial life support, giving of gifts by pharmaceutical companies to doctors, sickness certification, organ donation, human cloning, disclosure of information to cancer patient and patient confidentiality. Conclusion: We have documented the perceptions of general practitioners on broad principles of bioethics. These views have significant implications for medical practice.