Ethical problems encountered by Western physicians during temporary medical volunteer work in developing countries

Medical volunteer work in developing countries is a popular activity among physicians, residents, medical students, and other medical personnel from developed countries. It is also a topic that has not been examined extensively in the bioethics literature. This dissertation provides a critical analysis of the ethical problems encountered by medical volunteers in developing countries. Chapter 1 defends the choice of this topic and discusses narratives written by medical volunteers, focusing on the motivations of volunteers, as well as the risks and benefits of this work. It also engages general criticisms of medical volunteer work in developing countries.;Chapter 2 presents a literature review that identifies the ethical problems encountered by medical volunteers and the contextual features of medical volunteer work that contribute to them. It also proposes a modified directive case analysis method for analyzing and resolving ethical problems encountered in this work.;Chapter 3 focuses on the factors affecting interactions between medical volunteers and patients. It presents and analyzes five cases that illustrate the contribution of this contextual feature to ethical problems encountered by medical volunteers and to their resolution. Chapter 4 focuses on the effect that the nature of medical volunteer work has on the ethical problems. It presents and analyzes five cases that illustrate how the nature of medical volunteer work contributes to ethical problems and their resolution. Chapter 5 examines the setting of medical volunteer work. It presents and analyzes four cases that illustrate the effect of this contextual feature on ethical problems encountered by medical volunteers and on their resolution.;Chapter 6 discusses future directions for research. It describes the ethical issues that affect medical volunteer work at the level of the organization. It also proposes several empirical research studies that would inform the analyses of ethical problems encountered by medical volunteers in developing countries.