The Evolution of the Disciplinary Regulations  of the Medical Council of Iran

Maryam  Modabber; Alireza  Parsapour; Maryam Sadat  Mousavi; Ehsan Shamsi  Gooshki

doi:10.18502/ijme.v19i1.21701

Maryam Modabber PhD Candidate of Medical Ethics, Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Alireza Parsapour Assistan Professor, Medical Ethics and History or Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Maryam Sadat Mousavi Radiation Therapy Technologist, Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran.
Ehsan Shamsi Gooshki Lecturer in Bioethics, Monash Bioethics Center, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Associate Professor, Medical Ethics and History or Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijme.v19i1.21701

Keywords: Medical ethics, Medical council of Iran, Disciplinary regulations, Professionalism, Healthcare professionals.

Abstract

Professional guidelines, such as the Disciplinary Regulations of the Medical Council of Iran, serve as a framework for regulating the professional conduct of healthcare professionals and play a vital role in safeguarding the ethical and professional standards of medical services. This study aimed to examine the historical and substantive evolution of the disciplinary regulations of the Medical Council of Iran from 1969 to 2011. These regulations constitute the first legally binding document in modern Iranian medicine with enforceable authority, introducing certain standards of medical professional ethics in a relatively systematic manner and mandating their observance based on the powers granted by the law establishing the Medical Council. The study employed a historical and comparative content analysis of the relevant documents and regulations, assessing their structural, substantive, and supervisory changes. The findings indicated that these regulations have undergone five revisions. Over time, the content has moved away from virtue-oriented language and an emphasis on ethical values, adopting instead a more legalistic approach centered on medical negligence and malpractice. Other changes include the expansion of the scope from physicians to encompass all healthcare professionals; a shift in the conceptualization of the physician–patient relationship; a reduced emphasis on moral virtues; and an increased prominence of bureaucratic, administrative, and procedural aspects. These developments reflect broader social, legal, and professional transformations in Iran, studying which contributes to a clearer understanding of the trajectory of these regulations, thus providing a foundation for their future revision and improvement.