Autonomy is a bedrock ethical principle in medicine that has supplanted medical paternalism. Patients have a right to make their own medical decisions and are entitled to know the advantages and drawbacks of all reasonable options. Clearly, informed consent cannot be given if the patient is only partially informed or has been given a slanted presentation by the physician. When a patient does not have the capacity to provide consent, then a surrogate is used. This individual is charged to make the decision that the patient would have made if the patient were capable of doing so. Some argue that the surrogate should decide on what he feels is in the patient’s best interest, which may be different than what the patient would have preferred. Can Christian Scientist parents deny lifesaving treatment to their children? The courts have properly ruled for the children in many of these cases. These decisions may be traumatic for loving parents who feel that conventional medical t
MD Whistleblower presents vignettes and commentaries on the medical profession. We peek 'behind the medical curtain' and deliver candor and controversy in every post.