The Role Of Autonomy In Health Care

In the last several years, the physician-patient relationship has shifted dramatically from a less Hippocratic based paternalistic approach, to that of a relationship centered on respect for patient autonomy; this new approach integrated informed consent and shared decision making. Autonomy remains a much debated, but central idea in both western medicine and medical ethics. Autonomy for our purposes in medical ethics, can be defined as the right of competent adults to make informed decisions about their medical care. The debate ultimately surrounds what role patient autonomy should play in medicine. Some believe that patients should be seen as fully autonomous persons, as they know better than anyone else what is good or bad for them. While, …show more content…
Autonomy in health care operates under the understanding that patients are competent or of “sound mind”, have not been coerced into the decision they are choosing to make and overall are well informed prior to the decision. Essentially patients are free to use their autonomy to make decisions regarding their health based on informed consent, and those in the medical field are obligated to follow through regardless of their feelings on the matter. For example, Autonomy is central to the debate centering around euthanasia; as those who are advocates of euthanasia in health care argue that banning or prohibiting such an act, limits an individual’s choices, specifically, their choice as to how they will die and when they will die. Essentially the ban on euthanasia results in a limit on patient autonomy as a …show more content…
There are good reasons for respecting the autonomy of patients. Patients who are informed about their condition and who understand their treatment options and the reasons behind these treatment options are more likely make decisions that are genuinely better for their overall wellbeing. That being said, those who are given all the information are more likely to follow courses of prescribed treatment. Even when patients are given a terminal prognosis, being honestly informed, gives them the opportunity to make peace with themselves, with the life they have lived, and to get their affairs in order. Moreover, choosing to withhold such information from patients leads to distrust in physicians and ultimately leaves patients less inclined to trust physicians when the news is not bad. Despite the positives and the value in patient autonomy that I have highlighted above, critics still remain. Many who criticize patient autonomy make the argument that a physician’s obligation is always to do what is best for the patient. Critics claim that by offering full information and allowing patients to make crucial decisions about their health care, they may be allowing patients to make unwise choices. Obviously patient autonomy cannot possibly be applied to all, specifically young children, severely mentally incapacitated persons, and those who are unable to make