The Right Kind of Paternalism

While welcoming the new emphasis on informed consent and the right of to refuse treatment, the author warns that at times patients' responses to their illnesses may compromise their decision making. He describes several situations where a patient's refusal of a or therapeutic procedure might stem from denial, guilt, fear, anger, or depression, rather than from comprehension of the risks benefits involved. Marzuk cautions his fellow physicians against all remnants of paternalism in the face of legal pressures or fears violating patient autonomy. The right kind of paternalism guards patients the consequences of ill-conceived decisions based on emotion rather understanding. (KIE abstract)