title: [Ethical problems surrounding decision making by means of patient participation and public health oriented overall risk approaches].
abstract: Strengthening citizen participation, patient rights and patient autonomy places more and more responsibility for achieving certain health care goals on the health care consumer ('customer'). Public health based governance using tools and concepts of health economics consider this a responsibility of physicians and hospitals. The two concepts are not fully compatible. Holding health care providers responsible for goals which, in part, are beyond their control is unfair from an ethical point of view. Politics should accept that physicians are responsible for the quality of their services, and not for the health of the individual.
authors.affiliation: Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg. karl.wehkamp@t-online.de
authors.forename: Karl-Heinz
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Wehkamp
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000592:standards; D010358:Patient Participation; D011634:Public Health / Q000592:standards*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016896:Treatment Outcome