Revisiting the need for intellectual and moral virtues in making ethical decisions in Healthcare

Patient-physician interaction is an essential factor influencing the patient's health management decisions. This communication allows the patients to develop trust in the treating physicians and facilitates them in deciding what's best for themselves. The physicians, on the other hand, may interact with the patients based on three moral philosophies i.e. as a part of their duty (deontology), as a part of anticipating consequences (consequentialism) and as a part of being a virtuous doctor (virtue ethics). In this communication, we aim to debate the need and utility of having moral virtues for ethical decision-making. We will also evaluate the role of intellectual virtues in patient-doctor interaction for decisions taken on clinical grounds.