Medical Professionalism: A Contract with Society

December 17, 2019

The social contract between patients and society can determine medicine’s values and responsibilities in caring for the patient. The social contract is clearly articulated in medicine yet has frayed over the years, which has led to a loss of public trust. Aligning healthcare to support professionalism and value will ultimately support the social contract. ABFM created the Center for Professionalism and Value in Health Care in 2018 to work collaboratively on solutions to repair medicine’s social contract, working across a wide array of health care professions.