Patient Autonomy: Balancing Rights, Limits, and Ethical Duties

This essay explores the concept of patient autonomy within healthcare, emphasizing its importance as an ethical principle that grants patients control over their medical decisions. It acknowledges that while physicians possess specialized knowledge, patients have unique insights into their own bodies, making their input crucial. The essay discusses scenarios where autonomy may be limited, such as when patients lack adequate knowledge, experience emotional trauma, or make decisions that could harm themselves or others. It highlights the physician's responsibility to provide comprehensive information about treatment options, enabling patients to make informed decisions. The essay further examines the ethical considerations surrounding patient autonomy, including the principle of free will and the need to respect individual beliefs and moral values. The essay also integrates additional quotes to support the importance of patient rights, ethical duties and informed consent. In conclusion, the essay underscores the significance of respecting patient autonomy in healthcare as a fundamental right and a crucial aspect of ethical medical practice; this essay is available on Desklib, where students can find a variety of academic resources and solved assignments.

Running head: PATIENT AUTONOMY 1
Limits & Importance of Patient Autonomy
Student’s Name
Institution’s Affiliation

PATIENT AUTONOMY 2
Limits & Importance of Patient Autonomy
Autonomy is one of the vital things to be considered in healthcare facility especially
when dealing with various patient treatments, it is an ethical principle related to people as well as
self-governance & determination; the patient has control over their healthcare decisions. Despite
the fact that the physicians in health facilities are more acquainted with various diseases, the
patient in question knows more about his/her body thus the many factors that the patient requests
before giving any treatment are very important. According to (Ludbrook, 2007) Jody a 16year
old teenager does not know the impact in which the pregnancy will have to her life but still her
decision regarding the pregnancy should be adhered to. However, the importance, as well as the
limits of creating autonomy of patients in various healthcare facilities, is further discussed below.
“Rights: Why does this matter?" Although I believe that the patient rights are important and
her right to privacy and also her right to make a decision because of her age. I believe the
child also has a right.” ( Beauchamp, 2016)
First for patient autonomy in order for the patient to be able to make a decision they should
have adequate knowledge and try to explore various options that are relevant to the decisions that
are to be made. However, some patients may be quite knowledgeable about their illness but still;
they will need a professional doctor to assist them with any information that the patients doesn’t
know what they don’t know (Morton et. al, 2017).
Moreover, when a patient is in pain or emotionally traumatized they end up making
rational decisions; therefore, autonomy is limited to some point. That informed consent on the
decisions they are making is not there, therefore, in such instances, a lot of care must be taken
into account. More so it is the role of the physician offering the treatment to provide any relevant

PATIENT AUTONOMY 3
information about treatment; the positive and negative effects of the treatment as stipulated by
(Alsoufi, 2015). From there the patient is now in a position to make informed decisions that
should be respected by the medical professionals, patients also have power over their bodies.
Perhaps this patient autonomy might be limited if the made decisions might cause any harm to
the patient or others or when it violates the conscience of the medical doctors
“But since there is a principle of respect for autonomy, the practitioner has to respect any
decision made by the client. The doctor thus has to find the balance between the respect
of autonomy, rights, and the avoidance of harm.” (Déirdre, 2003)
In addition, there is the principle ethics of free will, in which an individual should be free in
making of their own decisions thus their decisions should be honored thus by doing this the
dignity of the patients is enhanced.
“Arguably, in this case the most common difficult ethical issue here is the client’s
autonomous decisions conflicts with my beneficent duty to provide best care or prevent
harm. I recognize that there are other perspectives that people may think differently to
this case, however, as the provider I should respect the client’s decision even while trying
to convince the client otherwise.” ( Health and Disability Commissioner, 2018)
In conclusion, respect for autonomy in healthcare is vital because it is the rights of the
patients to make their own decisions; therefore, it should not be seen as a light issue.
Consequently, various individuals have different beliefs and moral decisions hence any treatment
regarding their bodies should be their final say.

PATIENT AUTONOMY 4
Reference
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Argumentation (pp. 1-16). Springer, Cham.
Déirdre Dwyer, a. (2003). Beyond Autonomy: The Role of Dignity in 'Biolaw' (pp. 319): Oxford
University Press
Health and Disability Commissioner (2018). Code of Health and Disability Commissioners’
Rights: Health and Disability Commissioner, New Zealand. Retrieved from:
http://www.hdc.org.nz/your-rights/about-the-code/code-of-health-and-disability-services-
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Ludbrook, R. (2007). Child’s right to consent to or refuse medical treatment. Journal of
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(2015). The anatomy of medical research: US and international comparisons. Jama,
313(2), 174-189.
Morton, P. G., Fontaine, D., Hudak, C. M., & Gallo, B. M. (2017). Critical care nursing: a
holistic approach (p. 1056). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.