Physician–patient trust as seen in medical ethics

As a heteronomy, the code of medical ethics plays an important role in sustaining the trust between physicians and patients. Based on a comparative analysis of the domestic and foreign codes of medical ethics, and field survey on such trust at tertiary hospitals in Beijing, as well as medical providers' moral characteristics, this article analyzed the causes that"goodwill"is insufficient in the trust in terms of internal and external factors; and then, in respect of heteronomy as a basis, it put forward suggestions to improve code of medical ethics in order to rebuild such trust. Key words: Physician-patient trust; Code of medical ethics; Ethical perspective; Field survey