Commentary on Glannon and Ross, and McKay.
The patient-doctor relationship has recently come under intense scrutiny, resulting in a re-evaluation of the basis of that relationship. The papers by Glannon and Ross, and McKay seek to identify the sources of authority in the patient-doctor relationship by evaluating it in terms of the concept of altruism. In this paper I argue that the analysis of Glannon and Ross, and of McKay is unnecessary and that the analysis offered by the latter is also flawed. I do acknowledge, however, that Glannon and Ross's description of doctors' responsibilities and patients' roles has much to commend it.
McLean
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D000533:Altruism; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D026690:Ethics, Clinical; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D028681:Moral Obligations; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States