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Risks, Benefits, and Patients’ Treatment Decisions at the End of Life

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A Guide to Psychosocial and Spiritual Care at the End of Life

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Abstract

Medicine’s traditional doctor-oriented paternalism has declined rapidly in most Western countries. The rising level of the general public’s education and the simultaneous assertion of personal rights have prompted patients to demand more involvement than ever before in decisions about their care. Many patients want both information and decision-making authority. Numerous studies document this new attitude: Many patients say they want some control, partial or full, over treatment decisions, and only a few patients say they want to maintain sole doctor control. Patient autonomy has, therefore, become medicine’s dominant decision-making ethic, making patient assessments of treatments critically important in end-of-life care.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecumenical Center for Religion and Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA

    Henry S. Perkins

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Correspondence to Henry S. Perkins .

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Perkins, H.S. (2016). Risks, Benefits, and Patients’ Treatment Decisions at the End of Life. In: A Guide to Psychosocial and Spiritual Care at the End of Life. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6804-6_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6804-6_4

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