Codes of ethics in medicine have an ancient tradition, extending back to the Oath of Hippocrates. Yet it was only in the early 1970s that the speciality of psychiatry developed a specific code to address the unique ethical dilemmas and complexities arising in psychiatric practice. As the 50th anniversary of the publication of psychiatry's first code of ethics approaches, it is timely to reflect on the progress, role, and impact of such codes.

Our aim is to provide a historically informed review of codes of ethics in psychiatry – their origins and evolution, the current picture, and the possibilities for future development.

We conducted a selective review of relevant literature (including all codes of ethics accessible on the websites of World Psychiatric Association members states), analysis of the form and content of codes and related documents in psychiatry, and interviews of psychiatrists who have played central roles in their evolution.

Of the 143 WPA member states, only 15 codes of ethics for psychiatrists were identified, and few of these were associated with professional disciplinary processes. We found that these codes are rarely revised and sometimes supplemented with other statements and guidelines.

While there are difficulties in measuring the direct effectiveness of codes of ethics on the practice of psychiatrists, we conclude that these codes help to (1) promote professional solidarity and autonomy, (2) enhance moral sensitivity, and (3) aid in psychiatric education and training.

This study aimed at exploring the experiences of primary health-care providers of their encounters with patients with type 2 diabetes, and their preferences and suggestions for future improvement of diabetes care.

Barriers to good diabetes care could be related to problems from health-care providers’ side, patients’ side or the health-care system of the country. Treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes has become a huge challenge in Oman, where the prevalence has increased to high levels.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 health-care professionals, 19 doctors and seven nurses, who worked in primary health care in Oman. Qualitative content analysis was applied.

Organizational barriers and barriers related to patients and health-care providers were identified. These included workload and lack of teamwork approach. Poor patients’ management adherence and influence of culture on their attitudes towards illness were identified. From the providers’ side, language barriers, providers’ frustration and aggressive attitudes towards the patients were reflected. Decreasing the workload, availability of competent teams with diabetes specialist nurses and continuity of care were suggested. Furthermore, changing professional behaviours towards a more patient-centred approach and need for health education to the patients, especially on self-management, were addressed. Appropriate training for health-care providers in communication skills with emphasis on self-care education and individualization of care according to each patient's needs are important for improvement of diabetes care in Oman.