Impact of the Hippocratic Oath on Contemporary Health Models

Abstract

Introduction: The Hippocratic Oath has served as a guide for conduct in medical practice from Ancient Greece to the present day by establishing fundamental principles regarding responsibility, respect, and confidentiality in the doctor-patient relationship.

Objective: To examine the influence of the Hippocratic Oath on contemporary health models.

Methods: The study employed a qualitative approach with a descriptive and analytical scope. At the theoretical level, methods such as document analysis, systematization, and the historical-logical method were used. Twenty-three bibliographic references related to the research topic were consulted. Sources lacking verifiable academic or institutional backing were excluded, as were publications exhibiting extreme ideological bias or a lack of ethical grounding.

Author' position: Written in the 4th century BC, the Hippocratic Oath is the origin of values-based education. Its continued relevance in contemporary medicine ensures that these principles still guide ethics and professional decision-making today, when privatization compromises access to healthcare services for the most disadvantaged social sectors.

Conclusions: The Hippocratic Oath provides an enduring ethical framework that allows for a rethinking of public health policies in the modern era, a period marked by the systemic crisis of capitalism. Furthermore, it was observed that the values stemming from the Hippocratic legacy are integrated into the Cuban health model, which is guided by the principle of social justice arising from the work of the Revolution.