Question 1

Court rulings have established that competent patients have a right to

Accepted Answer

Court rulings have recognized the right of competent patients to reject recommended treatments, emphasizing the importance of autonomy and informed consent in healthcare decisions.

Question 2

The model of the physician-patient relationship favored by the Emanuels is the _______ model.

Accepted Answer

The Emanuels favor the deliberative model of the physician-patient relationship, which emphasizes the physician's role in helping the patient determine and choose the best health-related values that can be realized in the clinical situation.

Question 3

An advance directive is a legal document that speaks for you if you are

Accepted Answer

An advance directive is a legal document that specifies what actions should be taken for a person's health if they are no longer able to make decisions for themselves due to incapacity.

Question 4

A DNR is a directive telling the medical staff to

Accepted Answer

A DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order specifically instructs medical personnel not to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) if a patient's breathing or heart stops.

Question 5

In general, Kantian ethics views paternalism as

Accepted Answer

Kantian ethics emphasizes the importance of autonomy and rationality. It argues that individuals should be treated as ends in themselves and not merely as means to an end. Therefore, paternalism, which involves making decisions for others without their consent, is seen as a violation of autonomy under Kantian ethics.

Question 6

A physician knows that if they tell their patient the truth about their diagnosis, it will complicate their treatment and recovery. However, they reason that in the long run, lies do more harm than good because they erode public trust in the medical profession and it is best to adhere to a rule of honesty in diagnosis. This physician is adhering to a _______ moral theory in their reasoning.

Accepted Answer

The physician is adhering to rule-utilitarianism, which suggests that the morality of an action is determined by the utility of adhering to rules that are designed to maximize happiness or well-being. In this case, the physician believes that following a rule of honesty, despite short-term complications, will lead to the best overall outcomes by maintaining trust in the medical profession.

Question 7

A competent patient is refusing a life-saving treatment for religious reasons. Their physician is distressed by this refusal, but reasons that respect for the rights and autonomy of the patient trumps all other considerations. To ignore the patient's decision to refuse treatment would be to treat the patient merely as a means and not as an end. This physician is adhering to a _______ moral theory in their reasoning.

Accepted Answer

The physician is adhering to a Kantian moral theory, which emphasizes the importance of treating individuals as ends in themselves and respecting their autonomy and decision-making capacity, rather than merely as means to an end (such as preserving life at all costs). This approach aligns with Kant's categorical imperative, particularly the principle of respecting individuals' rationality and autonomy.

Question 8

A physician who refuses to pursue a treatment on the grounds that it would be pointless and inconsistent with reasonable standards of medical practice is appealing to

Accepted Answer

Medical futility refers to situations where treatments are unlikely to benefit the patient in a meaningful way, and thus, are not pursued based on professional standards and judgment.

Question 9

In response to a physician's refusal to administer treatment they deem pointless or ineffective, a patient's family argues that the physician has a moral duty to keep the body alive at all costs. The family is appealing to

Accepted Answer

The family's argument is based on the principle of the sanctity of human life, which holds that life is inherently valuable and should be preserved at all costs, regardless of the circumstances or the quality of that life.

Question 10

Regarding the right of patients to forgo CPR via a do-not-resuscitate order, the AMA wrote: "The physician has an ethical obligation to honor the resuscitation preferences expressed by the patient. Physicians should not permit their personal value judgments about quality of life to obstruct the implementation of a patient's preferences regarding the use of CPR."
This line of reasoning most clearly illustrates the principle of

Accepted Answer

The principle of patient autonomy emphasizes the right of patients to make decisions about their own healthcare, including the decision to forgo CPR, as highlighted by the AMA's statement on honoring patients' resuscitation preferences.

Question 11

The _______ principle states that autonomous persons should be allowed to exercise their capacity for self-determination.

Accepted Answer

The principle of autonomy emphasizes the right of individuals to make their own choices and decisions, reflecting their capacity for self-determination.

Question 12

The doctrine of informed consent was developed primarily to safeguard

Accepted Answer

The doctrine of informed consent was developed primarily to safeguard patient autonomy, ensuring that patients are fully informed about the risks, benefits, and alternatives of medical treatments or procedures before agreeing to them. This empowers patients to make decisions about their own healthcare that align with their values and preferences.

Question 13

People opposed to _______ argue that it is wrong because it violates the rights of persons to determine for themselves what is good and what is right.

Accepted Answer

Strong paternalism is the concept where individuals are prevented from making their own choices for their own good, even if they are capable of making those decisions. This is seen as violating personal autonomy and the right to self-determination.

Question 14

Physicians face pressure from pharmaceutical companies to use expensive treatments of limited efficacy, are penalized for low productivity, and have financial incentives to recommend procedure-oriented interventions in place of minimally invasive counseling. These all represent serious threats to

Accepted Answer

These pressures and incentives compromise the ability of physicians to make independent medical decisions based on the best interests of their patients, thus threatening physician autonomy.

Question 15

A toddler is seriously injured and the only way to save her life is to give her a blood transfusion. Her Jehovah's Witness parents refuse because the procedure is explicitly forbidden by their faith. The physicians proceed with the transfusion and save the girl's life and the parents sue the physicians and the hospital by claiming _______ was violated.

Accepted Answer

The right to refuse treatment was violated according to the parents' claim, as they refused the blood transfusion based on their religious beliefs, but the physicians proceeded with the transfusion to save the child's life.

Question 16

Early medical practice was strongly paternalistic.

Accepted Answer

Historically, early medical practice was characterized by a paternalistic approach, where physicians made decisions for their patients, often with little input or consent from the patients themselves, believing it was in the patients' best interest.

Question 17

The Hippocratic Oath asserts patients' rights to decide about their own medical care.

Accepted Answer

The original Hippocratic Oath does not explicitly assert patients' rights to decide about their own medical care; it is more focused on the ethics and duties of the physician towards patients, including doing no harm and keeping patient information confidential.

Question 18

Physician autonomy is the freedom of doctors to determine the conditions they work in and the care they give patients.

Accepted Answer

Physician autonomy refers to the principle that doctors have the freedom to make decisions regarding the conditions under which they work and the manner in which they provide care to their patients, based on their professional judgment, experience, and the best interests of the patient.

Question 19

Courts have stretched the right of competent patients to reject recommended treatments to situations in which they become incompetent (e.g., lapse into a coma) via advanced directives or other evidence of their preferences.

Accepted Answer

Courts have recognized the right of competent patients to make decisions about their future care through advanced directives or other evidence of their preferences, even if they later become incompetent, such as lapsing into a coma. This allows individuals to have control over their medical treatment decisions in situations where they are unable to communicate their wishes.

Question 20

The utilitarian philosopher John Stuart Mill endorsed state paternalism.

Accepted Answer

John Stuart Mill was a strong advocate for individual liberty and autonomy, famously arguing against state paternalism in his work "On Liberty," where he posited that the only reason for power to be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.

Quiz 3: Paternalism and Patient Autonomy