Doctors disagree about the ethics of treating friends and family

Friends do each other favors. And if your friend is a physician, that favor might be lending you medical expertise or a prescription pad. This type of informal health care happens all the time, and while it may be off the record, it doesn't mean the physician is off the hook. The question we must ask is whether it is ethical.

"The American Medical Association has addressed this issue since they put out early guidelines in 1847, and they have maintained that physicians should generally not treat themselves or members of their immediate family," says IHPI member Katherine Gold, assistant professor of Family Medicine and OB-GYN at the University of Michigan, who does research on the topic.

Gold says the guidelines are in place for good reason. One concern is that a physician may have inappropriate emotional investment in the care of a friend or family member.