The right of patients to make decisions for themselves regarding their medical treatment and care.
Patient autonomy: The right of individuals to make decisions about their own healthcare.
Informed consent: The process of ensuring that patients understand the risks and benefits of a medical procedure or treatment before giving their consent.
Competence: The ability of an individual to make informed healthcare decisions.
Substitute decision-making: The process of making healthcare decisions for someone who is not able to make them for themselves.
Advance directives: Legal documents that detail a patient's preferences for medical treatment in the event that they are unable to make decisions for themselves.
Surrogacy: The appointment of someone to make healthcare decisions on behalf of a patient who is unable to make their own decisions.
End-of-life care: The ethical considerations surrounding the end-of-life care, including decisions about withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment.
Physician-assisted death: The controversial issue of allowing doctors to assist patients in ending their own lives.
Disability: The rights and autonomy of individuals with disabilities, including issues around informed consent and substitute decision-making.
Cultural and religious diversity: The impact of cultural and religious beliefs on medical decision-making and the autonomy of individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Personal Autonomy: This type of autonomy refers to an individual's right to make decisions about their own health and medical treatment. It acknowledges the patient's right to choose or refuse a medical test, procedure, or treatment, based on their values, beliefs, and goals.
Paternalistic Autonomy: This type of autonomy is based on the idea that healthcare professionals ought to make decisions in the patient's best interest, taking into account their medical expertise and knowledge. This model is often used in emergency or life-threatening situations where the patient is unable to make decisions on their own.
Shared Autonomy: This type of autonomy involves a collaborative decision-making process between the patient and healthcare provider, where both have equal input and responsibilities. The healthcare provider shares the relevant information about diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment options with the patient, and the patient is allowed to make informed decisions.
Relational Autonomy: This type of autonomy acknowledges the patient's social and cultural background, relationships, and network, and how these factors influence their medical decisions. It emphasizes the importance of informed consent or refusal, which may require additional support from family members or trusted caregivers.