Week 4 & 5 Flashcards
what are the 3 situations in which it is okay to interfere with someone’s autonomy? Do words count as violating autonomy?
- they don’t know or understand what’s happening
- they are going to harm you
- they are going to harm another person
- words don’t count
whats the difference between freedom and autonomy?
freedom is always having choice at any given time whereas autonomy is knowingly agreeing to giving up some freedom (ie. going to uni)
what are the 4 aspects of autonomy?
- free action
- effective deliberation
- Authenticity
- moral reflection
What is free action?
- can be limited by internal & external forces
- autonomy is not automatic: you must demonstrate the ability to self-rule
- choice matters less than the process from which you came to that decision
- society sets standards and limits by saying what is “poor” or “reasonable” self-rule
what is effective deliberations? what is ineffective deliberations caused by?
- a person “ruling themselves” shows good judgement
- good = reasoned (logical, sensible and intelligent) - doesn’t mean everything they choose is right but it means that they were able to articulate the process behind it
- ineffective deliberations can be caused by:
1. misinformation (deception, lies)
2. missing information (omission)
3. mental/cognitive issues (delusions, compulsions)
what is authenticity?
- you are being who you truly are, freed from external and internal constraints
- basically not being pressured by other people
- not so obvious often driven by a subtle power
what is moral reflection?
- autonomy involves being able to Clearly articulate your values
- do you know why you would choose something or is it something you’ve adopted unconsciously and uncritically?
- if you don’t have an effective reflection you don’t have an effective deliberation
what is respect for autonomy?
- can’t respect a patients autonomy by simply not breaking any rules – suggests a virtuous commitment to support the patient’s autonomy (advocate for it)
- respect the patients decision until you feel they are making the wrong choice bc of missing info (get informed consent)
- deliver the msg in a way that the person is in the best position to make the decision for themselves
what is informed consent? and what are the 3 things you need for it? what do lawyers say about it?
- we have self-determination in medical matters so we should be treated as medical decisions are our choices as patients:
1. be reasonably informed
2. be allowed to make our decisions
3. have those decisions respected - informed consent is considered as a protective device against lawyers
- signature on a form might be legally compelling but it is the ethical minimum
what does it mean to be “fully informed”? threshold concept?
- no set standard
- “threshold concept”: is where too little of something is wrong and you need to reach a level at which what you’re doing is okay (ethical obligation)
Health care Consent Act (HCCA) 1996: what must consent have (4) and what do do with a minor?
- relate to the treatment
- be informed
- be given voluntarily
- not be obtained through misrepresentation
- minors should agree (ASSENT) –> legally they have no standing but this is the best kind of ethical practice
what is on the consent checklist? (6)
- nature of treatment
- expected benefits
- material risks
- material side-effects: thing that might alter your life that are likely
- alternatives
- likely consequences: long-term prognosis
royal college of physicians and surgeons of Canada: primary?
primary is not equal to absolute or total, but the weight of the responsibility is on the doctor
- doctors are allowed to delegate but need to make sure it happens
what is appropriate information that informs consent? (6)
- provide patients with all reasonable data
- possible alternatives
- risks of all possible procedures
- without coercion
- should encourage patients to make their own decisions
- restrict your comments to your area of expertise
what is the noble lie?
- to tell a lie that benefits the deceived person (this is moral behaviour)
- ** not lying to save your own ass
how prevalent is lying?
- community members lied in 20% of their social interactions
students: 33% - lying was more common in phone calls than face-to-face chats
- 1/7 (14%) of lies are discovered as far the liars could tell
- 1 tenth of the lies were exaggerations while 60% were deceptions
- most lies were subtle (omission)
- more than 70% of liars would tell their lies agin