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Laurie J. Lyckholm, MD

JAMA. 1998;280:1944-1946.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Considering that nearly every physician has received a gift from a patient, it is surprising that there are no established conventions or guidelines about this custom. The topic of gifts from patients to physicians is not addressed in professional oaths or in statements by the American Medical Association,¹ the American College of Physicians,² or Beauchamp and Childress' Principles of Biomedical Ethics.³

In a survey of 378 British physicians from various specialties, 20% said they had received gifts from patients during the previous 3 months. The average monetary value of the gift was estimated to be less than $15; the most common gift was alcohol, followed by chocolate and cash.⁴ How is the patient-physician relationship affected by this practice of gift giving? Do gifts to physicians from patients create conflicts of interest and breaches of justice? Should physicians accept gifts at all?

Many ethical questions arise . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Case 1

From the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond.

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