When Patient and Doctor Disagree

Beschreibung

Medicine Meets Philosophy At the very heart of medical practice lies the relationship between patient and doctor. Some key aspects of this relationship are explored. The authors describe two very different approaches, one based on the autonomy of the patient and one based on the paternalism of the doctor. The importance of believing the patient is also an essential feature of the patient-doctor relationship. The patient who knows best in a particular instance but is not believed suffers a personal injustice, which may have serious practical consequences. In terminal illness the patient and doctor can together explore what still makes the patient’s life meaningful, and this can be a valuable part of psychological treatment. Some ethical dilemmas in medicine and psychiatry are discussed, and it is shown how reflecting on the ideas of patient autonomy and medical paternalism can throw light on these dilemmas. These topics are controversial and the issues are set out in all their complexity so that readers can make up their own minds about them. This book shows how some problems in medicine can be illuminated by applying philosophy.
For a long time, the basic rule for the professional relationship between patient and doctor has been that the patient does not question the doctor’s knowledge and instructions. However, patients now have more medical information. The consequence is a strengthening of the autonomy of patients, which inevitably leads to some disagreements between patients and doctors. This book is a plea for the autonomy of the patient from a philosophical and psychological point of view. In particular, it deals with psychiatry in psychiatry
- Strengthening the position of patients towards medical instructions - Plea for more autonomy especially in the doctor-patient situation in psychiatric treatment

Autor*in

Paul Crichton
Paul Crichton is a Consultant Psychiatrist who now works for the Ministry of Justice in London. He has a PhD in philosophy, and is interested in using philosophy to throw light on medicine and psychiatry. He is the author of Self-Realization – Thinking about How to Live.

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