Resumen

ZAMORA MARIN, René. Ethics in the care of critically-ill and terminally-ill patient. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [online]. 2006, vol.32, n.4, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1561-3127.

An analysis was made on the fundamentals of ethics and their association to medical services. Abstract thought sciences were compared with natural sciences, thus noting that the postulates of the former should prompt good judgements of the physician at the patient´s bedside. A new health concept includidng the ethical condition of the person was stated. The importance of anthropological substantiation of ethics was stressed by partly using Xavier Zubiri´s argumentation and personalism arguments in order to analyze the main principles of ethics that should be taken into account in treating both the seriously-ill and terminally-ill patient. The concept of ethics based on values and virtues was analyzed, trying to substantiate these expressed concepts and relate them to intensive care and palliative care. The concept of moral responsibility by H. Jonas , the phenomenon of humanistic control of science as well as their ethical implications observed in taking care of the seriously-ill patient were also discussed. It was stated that delving more into Cuban cultural ethics and the ethical formation of health professionals is a necessity, taking into consideration that they constitute in one way or another the ethical foundations of the Cuban nation. The ethical bequest inherited from Felix Varela and José de la Luz y Caballero was also explained

Palabras clave : Ethics; physician-patient relationship; seriously-ill patient; terminally-ill patient; intensive care; palliative care.