Patient autonomy and the physician's ethics.
In the last 25 years, patient autonomy has displaced physician beneficence as a dominant principle in medical ethics. This has enhanced the moral right of patients to refuse unwanted treatment and to participate in clinical decisions. But now, in some cases, patient autonomy is being absolutized. The right to refuse is becoming a right to demand treatment. The result is danger to the moral and professional integrity of physicians. A reassessment of the mutual moral obligations of physicians and patients to respect each other's autonomy is in order.
Pellegrino
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Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.
D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D016079:Refusal to Treat; D012945:Social Values; D016312:Treatment Refusal