Jack P. Freer, in “Decision Making in an Incapacitated Patient,” presents the reader with a
compelling dilemma. A young patient with a long-standing history of opioid abuse and …

DISCUSSION There is usually no dispute over whether a medical or surgical consultation
should be performed. This is because both the physician requesting the consultation and the …

In this paper I examine some of the significant moral concerns inherent in cases of treatment
refusal involving patients with psychotic disorders. In particular, I explore the relevance of …

In healthcare ethics, autonomy is often conceptualized as selfdetermination. A person is
autonomous if he can make his own decisions regarding treatment and care. Autonomy can …

Most of the articles in this issue of The Journal of Clinical Ethics highlight current endeavors
to respect patients' autonomy. These efforts include discussing life-sustaining treatments …

Discussions about patients' competence to make their own medical decisions are
traditionally set within a broader, rather standardized discussion about how medical …

Were I to publish The Practice of Autonomy today, 1 I would make my principal points more
confidently and emphatically because—I am relieved and discouraged to say—recent …

Background Psychiatric consultations involving the evaluation of patients' medical decision-
making capacity often seem to have little to do with truly compromised patient autonomy …

Perhaps the biggest change brought about by the American bioethics movement is the
broad acceptance of respect for patient autonomy as an overarching ideal in medicine …

Although the Code of Medical Ethics does not have much to say about mental health per se,
the Code does consider patient decision-making capacity, mental competence, and …