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Political Activity of US Physicians—Reply
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In Reply: Dr Umscheid raises an important question: how should political activity as a responsibility or attribute of medical professionals be defined? We assumed a relatively narrow definition focusing on health-related concerns, whereas Umscheid takes a broader view that includes any political activity.
We contend that in a democracy, general activism in politics is a responsibility shared by all citizens, whether or not they are professionals. The majority of the 37 physicians that Umscheid et al1 surveyed, all primary care physicians in an urban university practice, were fulfilling their citizenship responsibilities by contributing time or money to political campaigns as well as discussing political issues with patients.
More than general activism, however, physicians and other health professionals may have extra obligations to use their health-related expertise to be active in their role as professionals. The argument for special obligations for activism in physicians' areas of expertise is based on these . . . [Full Text of this Article]
Russell L. Gruen, MBBS, PhD
russell.gruen@bigpond.com
University of Melbourne
Parkville, Australia
Eric G. Campbell, PhD;
David Blumenthal, MD, MPP
Institute for Health Policy
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston
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RELATED LETTER
Political Activity of US Physicians
Craig A. Umscheid
JAMA. 2007;297(9):951.
EXTRACT
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RELATED ARTICLE
Public Roles of US Physicians: Community Participation, Political Involvement, and Collective Advocacy
Russell L. Gruen, Eric G. Campbell, and David Blumenthal
JAMA. 2006;296(20):2467-2475.
ABSTRACT
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