The Doctrine of Informed Consent and Patient Autonomy

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the doctrine of informed consent and patient autonomy emphasizes the dilemma that modern medicine experiences when faced with the issue of a patient's right and autonomy to decide what is going to be done to his or her own body once he or she is committed to a healthcare unit. The paper then points out that the once unquestionable acceptance that the patient should leave him or herself completely in the care of the medical staff seems to be outdated. The paper then goes on to define the concepts of patient's right of patient autonomy and the physician's obligation of informed consent. The issue may appear to be simple; however, there are many aspects to this doctrine. These are discussed in the paper.

From the Paper:

"Wear also identifies many other aspects and medical situations where informed consent and patient autonomy can be harmful from a medical point of view, rather than beneficial. According to Wear, the two bioethics concepts can be termed as 'fast ethics', as in 'fast food', that is, a compromise between real ethical principles and no principles at all. Wear emphasizes thus that the ethos itself and its functionality may be seriously undermined in such cases where the doctors are confronted with the spontaneous behavior of the patients who are confronted with the truth about a serious illness or condition."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Gorovitz, Samuel. Informed Consent and Patient Autonomy. New York:
• --- Drawing the line: Life, Death, and Ethical Choices in an American, Hospital. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.
• Sakellari, E. "Patient Autonomy." www.nursing.gr/protectedarticles/autonomy.pdf
• Smith, George. Complexities in Biomedical Decision-making. http://law.richmond.edu/rjolpi/Issues_Archived/1998_Fall_Biomedical_Ethics/smith_fin.html
• Wear, Stephen. Informed Consent: Patient Autonomy and Clinician Beneficence within Health Care. Washington: Georgetown University Press, 2000.

More papers on The Doctrine of Informed Consent and Patient Autonomy:

• Analytical Essay # 145662 : "Informed Consent and Patient Rights in Modern Medicine"
• Essay # 40066 : "Informed Consent and the Surgical Patient"
• Comparison Essay # 96596 : "The Death of Ivan llyitch" and "The Metamorphosis"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: