RT Book, Section A1 Jonsen, Albert R. A1 Siegler, Mark A1 Winslade, William J. SR Print(0) ID 1112266018 T1 Preferences of Patients T2 Clinical Ethics: A Practical Approach to Ethical Decisions in Clinical Medicine, 8e YR 2015 FD 2015 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071845069 LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1112266018 RD 2024/03/29 AB This chapter discusses the second topic that is essential to the analysis of an ethical problem in clinical medicine, namely, the preferences of patients. By preferences of patients we mean the choices that persons make when they are faced with decisions about health and medical treatment. These choices reflect the patient’s own experience, beliefs, and values as informed by the physician’s recommendations. The previous topic, Medical Indications, concerns the physician’s clinical judgment about a patient’s medical condition and about interventions that might objectively improve deficits in that condition. When there are medical indications for treatment, a physician should propose a treatment plan that a patient may accept or refuse. We will discuss: (1) The ethical principle of respect for the autonomy of the patient; (2) the legal, clinical, and psychological significance of patient preferences; (3) informed consent; (4) decisional capacity; (5) truth in medical communication; (6) cultural and religious beliefs; (7) refusal of treatment; (8) advance directives; (9) surrogate decisions; (10) the challenging patient; and (11) alternative medicine.