Ethical conflicts and codes of conduct for military physicians in battlefield settings
10.12026/j.issn.1001-8565.2026.06.04
- VernacularTitle:军医在战场中的伦理冲突和行为准则研究
- Author:
Qiuju ZHANG
1
;
Dan LI
2
;
Changyong MA
1
;
Xiaojuan WU
1
;
Hui JIANG
3
Author Information
1. School of Basic Medical Sciences， Air Force Medical University， Xi’an 710032， China
2. Department of Ambulatory Wards， Senior Department of Oncology， the Fifth Medical Center of Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital， Beijing 100071， China
3. Office of Ethics， Zhangzhou Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University， Zhangzhou 363000， China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
military medical ethics;
medical ethics;
military ethics;
moral conflict
- From:
Chinese Medical Ethics
2026;39(6):724-729
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
In the challenging and specific military environment， medical activities are not only confined to traditional medical care but must also adapt to the special requirements of military operations. Meanwhile， when military operations employ medical interventions for treatment and research， they introduce complexities and ethical considerations inherent in the medical domain. Against this backdrop， the ethical conflicts and moral dilemmas confronted by the special identity of military doctors have become an inevitable and urgent issue requiring resolution. The identities of doctors and soldiers， typically distinct， overlap and intersect in the role of the military doctors on the battlefield， inevitably giving rise to intricate ethical predicaments that frequently place them in arduous moral choices. The special considerations in behavioral decision-making， contradictions in value judgments， and the reconciliation of moral injury among military doctors in battlefield scenarios should be comprehensively considered based on factors such as professional codes of conduct， values and emotions， international law， and humanitarian principles. Military doctors should regard respecting life as the supreme principle， while also taking into account the protection needs of special groups， and adhering to the core concept of fairness and reasonableness， all of which should serve as the fundamental guidance for their behavioral standards.
