Medical Ethics Of The Doctor Patient Relationship

In his article “Whose Body Is It, Anyway?”—appearing in the New Yorker in October 1994—Dr. Atul Gawande highlights the complexities of the doctor-patient relationship vis-à-vis patient autonomy and decision-making. Dr. Gawande explains that a respect for patient autonomy (i.e., allowing patients to choose between courses of treatment, therefore directly influencing their health outcome) is the “new normal” for medical practitioners. However, Gawande also contends that there are times when patients are better served by a voluntary relinquishment of that autonomy.

I think it’s a part of the doctors’ responsibility to keep a good professional relationship with one’s patients. Collins states “those who do not want to know, and who if they were told would be injured by it; those who are wholly incapable of receiving the truth.” (pg.193). Going back to the client relationship models Collins believes that doctors should use a parent model on their patients. The parent model is when doctors have more experience and knowledge that they use to make decisions without telling the patients about their own health as if they were a child. This model and view basically strips the patient from autonomy and the choice of making his or her own decisions. In a whole, this premise is wrong because patients should have the right to make their own decisions when it comes to their own health.

“The only appropriate and realistic model of the Dr.‐patient relationship is paternalism. Doctors are the medical experts; most patients have little, if any, reliable medical knowledge; implicit trust in one’s physician is essential to the healing process; and doctors have the responsibility for our health and therefore have the duty to make all the important medical decisions.” Critically assess that claim.

During the Saturday Academy, the group presentations on the book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and the films—Hózhó Life in Balance and The Greater Middle East— taught me very informative and useful tips for becoming the best healthcare provider. The group presentations represented the idea that there should be consent when doing further research on their patient. With consent the patient is able to build that trust connection with their physicians. Without consent the patient is not able to open and loses the lack of trust for their physicians. As a result, with the lack of trust between the patient and the physician, the physician is not able to help out their patients in a way that would benefit them because they are too afraid that

An informed consent is the sovereign act by the patient or a research subject to authorize a healthcare professional to perform a medical procedure. It means that patients must be briefed on all the goals of the procedure, the methods to be used by the physician and all the risks that they might be subjected to while undergoing therapies/treatments. De Bord (2014), defines informed consent as “Informed consent is the process by which the treating health care provider discloses appropriate information to a competent patient so that the patient may make a voluntary choice to accept or refuse treatment” (as cited in Appelbaum, 2007). In this paper, I will argue that Jay Katz’s claim for the lack of genuine informed consent in healthcare field is firm by demonstrating and buttressing his claim. I will also pinpoint how Jay Katz’s argument is consistent with the medical professionals’ code of ethics

First, disclosure of information to the patient will sometimes increase the likelihood of depression and physical deterioration, or result in the choice of medically inoptimal treatment. Second, disclosure of information is therefore sometimes likely to be detrimental to the patient’s health, and perhaps hasten his death. Third, health and prolonged life can be assumed to have priority among preferences for patients who place themselves under physicians’ care. Fourth, Worsening health or hastening death can therefore be assumed to be contrary to patients’ own true value orderings. Lastly, paternalism is therefore justified: doctor may sometimes override patients’ prima facie rights to information about their risks and treatments or about their own conditions in order to prevent harm (Vaughn, 96.)

Since out based incomes are financial incentives, they generally foresee the generation of more amount of medical care per patient. Thus, if doctors are making money from unnecessary medical procedures, there is an ethical issue of physicians not wanting the best for their patients. Active informed consent (based on knowledge about procedure, risk, benefits, etc.) by the patient (or proxy) in response to a physician's prescription should only be of the best interest and well-being of the patient. Active informed consent is essential, but not enforced to the same degree by all medical professionals. As a physician, I will make every single effort to change this. I want to influence other physicians, nurses, and health professionals to always keep in mind the best interest and well-being of the patients. As stated previously, not every health care professional is like this. I am thankful for all the healthcare professionals who keep their patients’ wellness as top priority. However, there is still a precedent issue that I felt strongly to

A physician has the responsibility to determine the legitimacy of all work injuries and to report its finding accurately. If a physician prepares a report with the intent to use it in support of a fraudulent claim and knowingly submitted for payment under an insurance contract, the physician may be subject to fines or imprisonment and risks the possibility of having his or her medical license revoked. Presenting a claim for an item or services based on a code known to result in greater payment or submit a claim for services not medically needed is a violation of the false claim act.

The physician–patient relationship is the quintessential fiduciary relationship because of the vast disparity in knowledge about disease and treatment between the clinician and the typical lay patient. The consequence of this disparity is that the physician has a moral (and ultimately a legal) responsibility to utilize that manifestly superior knowledge exclusively for the benefit of the patient. (Rich, 2005, p. 393)

A patient signed an arbitration agreement before he say the doctor for his surgery and the surgery went bad and the patient filed for compensation due to effects from the wrong doings of the doctor. The court ruled that the arbitration agreement could not be upheld. This case shows what could result in someone not being able to read legal papers before they sign or not knowing they have the right to not sign said paperwork. The majority opinion for this case is correct. the wording on the arbitration agreement was one reason as well as the fact that a doctor-patient relationship was present when Mr. King signed said agreement. Also, there are many cases that help to support the majority opinion.

In any medical setting, it is essential to respect the patients’ autonomy. Any competent patient has the right to make decisions regarding his or her health. However, the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence also need to be considered. Respecting the patients’ autonomy does not entail a one-size-fits-all approach to truth-telling. Unfettered truthfulness or “truth-dumping” may not be in the patient’s best interest. Moreover, some cultures do not subscribe to the individualistic principle of patient autonomy and family members are significantly involved in the patient’s decision-making.

The discussion on Patrick Dismuke's condition concentrated on his incapability to improve. After reviewing his symptoms and considering possible scenarios resulting from certain kinds of treatment, such as the tube that delivered nutrients into his veins that "broke the barrier between blood and air" and became "a bacteria-laden Trojan horse, opening the door to infection", we attempted to come to a consensus on what would constitute a quality life, as deliberated among the committee. We took into consideration that after every kind of surgery, his status would be temporarily improved but ultimately decline in keeping with his body's proclivity. We acknowledged that the idea of a successful stomach transplant was remote since, as

According to Teitelbaum (2012), “the general legal rule is that physician–patient relationships are specific to “spells of illness” and that past treatment is not tantamount to an existing physician–patient relationship”. Therefore, legally the physician- patient relationship is established or begins each time an individual returns to the doctor for an appointment and basically ends with each appointment. Although this is the general legal rule, there seems to be a number of other ways in which the physician - patient relationship is defined and determined to be established or not. These definitions can vary due to federal laws, state laws and due to public health insurance programs.

Within their paper, Childress and Siegler expand upon five models of physician-patient relationships that are omnipresent within the healthcare setting: Paternalism, Partnership, Friendship, Contract, and Technical Assistance (Childress and Siegler 74). By using these models, physicians often use these social frameworks to “appeal to ethical principles related to informed consent or shared decision-making or, at a deeper level, [the] goal of respecting patient autonomy” (Schwartz 2011). While the substantial purpose of using these models is to help alleviate the excruciating effects of disease, there are drawbacks to these models where efforts to respect patient autonomy may aggravate a patients’ suffering, specifically paternalism. Advocates

In the third section, we will examine the role of the social sciences in deconstructing patient experiences of healthcare through concepts like the role of the doctor and the lay expert. We will apply this to different modes of doctor-patient communication and decision making, and explore the use of patient narratives in clinical care. This will be tied to the concept of social construction of illness through patient experiences. The final section will outline the role of medical ethics in influencing medical treatment, examining the way in which various ethical theories and principles serve to resolve issues related to the social determinants of health, and doctor-patient relationships, and the significance of concepts like confidentiality, consent, autonomy, and justice in discussing patient experiences.