Ethics in sports medicine

Sports medicine physicians are not exempt from the ethical challenges of me dical practice merely because their patients are robust and healthy, In fac t, precisely because the patients with sports injuries are so healthy the m oral issues remain subtle. Many ethical issues in sports medicine come abou t because the traditional relationship between doctor and patient is altere d or absent. In the current review, several routine topics in biomedical et hics, including doctor and patient confidentiality, informed consent, the c are of miners, medical advertising and use of innovative treatments, will b e studied from the sports medicine perspective. Hypothetical case histories will be presented, along with an analysis of the underlying ethical issues . The goal of this analysis is not to offer answers to these moral question s, but to increase awareness and promote contemplation of the correct cours e of action.