HLTH3000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Estrogen, Chemotherapy, Palliative Care
Document Summary
Autonomy - patients right to refuse treatment/ doctor"s right to refuse to treat patient- futile. Consent - emergency - necessity otherwise it must be voluntary and informed. Capacity - children (under18 years), intellectually challenged, aged and surrogate decisions/future decisions made now. Practical situations - "special medical procedures" such as child sterilisation and gender dysphoria - decision of court required. Patients are potentially dependent/vulnerable upon their treating team. The level of vulnerability may increase due to age and/or mental capacity. The doctor"s opinion may be subjective, it could be bias - pro treatment, rather than the patients best interests. Patients have a right to refuse treatment, even if the treatment will save their lives. Doctors have a right to refuse to provide treatment, such as in circumstances where the provision of the treatment would be regarded as futile the treatment would be of little, or no beneficial value to the patients condition.
