Physicians' decisions about patient capacity: the Trojan horse of physician-assisted suicide.

Autor: Martyn SR; University of Toledo College of Law, Toledo, Ohio 43606, USA. smartyn@uoft02.utoledo.edu, Bourguignon HJ
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Psychology, public policy, and law : an official law review of the University of Arizona College of Law and the University of Miami School of Law [Psychol Public Policy Law] 2000 Jun; Vol. 6 (2), pp. 388-401.
Abstrakt: Even if all physicians follow elaborate guidelines in determining patient capacity, their judgments will remain subjective and heavily influenced by their own personal values. Capacity guidelines are the Trojan horse of physician-assisted suicide, because their appealing and reasonable character conceals the real decision-making power placed in the hands of physicians, who in reality evaluate the patient's quality of life. We should instead concentrate our efforts on a better alternative: quality palliative care for all.
Databáze: MEDLINE