Difference Between Autonomy And Paternalism

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Autonomy is defined is defined as having control over one’s self. This has become the governing principle that healthcare providers strive to practice when it comes to their relationships with their patients. Giving patients the controls over their own body allows them to choose the direction they believe will be best for them, while also allowing the provider to ethically respect their decision even if they may not personally agree with it. In contrast, another approach to the healthcare provider, patient relationship is paternalism. Were autonomy has the patient steering the wheel of decision making, paternalism gives the keys to the healthcare provider. Paternalism has the healthcare providers making all the decisions, sometimes without
Which I’m sure most of them did if this was going to be their first round with cancer. However, there are times when you do not have time ask the patient what course of treatment they would prefer, such in the case of an emergency in the ER. With the exception of respecting DNRs and their patients’ religious beliefs, paternalism should take over in the case of emergencies. There are other times when paternalistic like approach should take place as well, such as when patients may not understand what is wrong. There was story that someone in class told about Dr. May, his patient apparently has had many medical problems in the past, and she had decided that she was just going to let her body do what it was going to do without treatment. The way the situation was described, it sounded as if Dr. May profusely encouraged her because she did not know just how simple the procedure was. Other times when the approach should focus more on paternalism is in situations when the patient is not mental and or physically capable to make autonomous decisions and there is not a next to kin to make those decisions. However, one of the risks associated with paternalism is the healthcare provider not making decisions that are best for the patients,

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