ECAMS Members And Certified Doctors & Surgeons Code of Ethics and Conduct for Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery

I. Core Ethical Principles

  • Patient-Centered Care: Members must use their skills and knowledge to provide effective and safe aesthetic treatments to all patients, without discrimination based on race, gender, religion, beliefs, or origin, with the primary goal of enhancing the patient’s quality of life.

  • Honesty and Transparency: Members must foster trust with patients by providing honest and clear information about treatments, including available alternatives, risks, and potential outcomes.

  • Confidentiality: Members must protect patient data and maintain professional confidentiality for all information disclosed during the doctor-patient relationship, including among colleagues.

  • Patient Safety: Members must prioritize patient safety by adhering to established norms of hygiene and using only scientifically proven treatments that they are fully trained to perform.

  • Respectful Professional Relationships: Members must respect other colleagues and foster positive professional relationships. They should avoid interfering with ongoing treatments provided by other members except in
    case of emergency or if he consulted by the other member.

  • Responsible Communication: Members must use social media and other forms of communication responsibly, ensuring that information shared is truthful, respects the dignity of the medical profession, and does not create false expectations.

  • Fair and Transparent Pricing: Members must offer appropriate and proven treatments for each patient’s needs and openly communicate all fees and associated costs before providing services.

  • Compliance with Laws: Members must comply with all applicable laws and regulations governing aesthetic medicine and surgery.

  • Defamation and Respect for Committee Members and the college: Members must not defame, slander, or otherwise harm the reputation of any member of the ECAMS committee or their colleagues. Respect for all members is paramount, and professional disagreements should be handled with decorum and through proper channels.

  • No Cyberbullying or Threats: Members are strictly prohibited from engaging in cyberbullying or using their position to threaten, intimidate, or harass other members, patients, or ECAMS as an organization. Violating this rule may result in immediate termination from ECAMS, and any training certificates issued by ECAMS may be revoked.

  • Professionalism in Disputes: All disputes or disagreements should be resolved professionally and respectfully, utilizing the established ethical and grievance procedures within ECAMS. Members should refrain from public or online confrontations that could harm the reputation of others or the college.

  • Social Media Conduct: Members must avoid using social media or any other public platform to criticize, defame, or bully other members, patients, the college or other society within the professional community. All communications should be conducted with the highest level of professionalism and respect.

  • Business Ethics and Contracts: In the aesthetic industry, members must honor business acumen and adhere to ethical business practices. Members are not permitted to use their position as doctors to disregard business ethics or to override any business contracts they have signed. Respecting and upholding business agreements is essential, and members must not use their medical authority to invalidate or undermine contractual obligations.

  • Informed Consent: Patients must receive clear information about the nature of their treatment, alternatives, and associated risks, and must provide informed consent before any procedure.

  • Elective Nature of Procedures: Patients should be advised that aesthetic treatments are elective, and not medically necessary, allowing them to make informed decisions.

  • Accurate Record-Keeping: Members must maintain clear, accurate, and secure medical records, accessible only to authorized professionals in compliance with applicable laws (e.g., GDPR).

  • Professional Confidentiality: Members must respect the privacy of all patients and ensure that all staff are trained to maintain confidentiality.

  • Legal Compliance: In cases where legal requirements or public protection necessitate a breach of confidentiality, members must act with discretion and within legal boundaries.

  • Respect and Non-Discrimination: Members must respect all patients, regardless of their background, and communicate effectively, considering the patient’s social, cultural, and educational context.

  • Patient Autonomy: Members must respect a patient’s right to seek a second opinion and must provide all relevant information in advance of any treatment.

  • Members shall respect the differing opinions of other members and colleagues regarding treatment or diagnosis.

  • Members shall resolve any professional disputes with other members within ECAMS through the ethical committee.

  • Members shall refrain from any communication in public media that could provoke disrespect toward another member or the college.

  • ECAMS members are encouraged to conduct their training under the ECAMS umbrella as much as possible. If they choose to conduct independent training, they are committed to fully sharing their knowledge for the benefit of the delegates, without withholding information for personal gain. They must prioritize delivering the highest quality training to the learners, ensuring that the training is provided only to medical doctors or surgeons, without discrimination based on their specialty. The training must also be appropriately structured to ensure that each learner receives the comprehensive information needed to succeed and provide safe treatment for their patients.

  • Truthful Advertising: Members must ensure that all promotional materials are truthful, do not create false expectations, and respect the integrity of the medical profession.

  • Ethical Marketing: Members must avoid marketing practices that trivialize the seriousness of medical treatments.

  • Responsible Use of Social Media: Members must ensure that all online content, including social media, adheres to high ethical standards, providing accurate information without encouraging unnecessary treatments.

  • Disciplinary Actions: The Board of Directors may censure, suspend, expel, or otherwise discipline any member of ECAMS for violations of the Code of Ethics, or for any conduct detrimental to the reputation and best interests of the ECAMS. This may include immediate termination from ECAMS and the revocation of any training certificates issued by ECAMS.

  • Disciplinary Process Management: All aspects of the disciplinary process are managed by the Executive Office and overseen by the Scientific Faculty Committee, in line with the relevant policies and Terms of Reference.