Decision-making in Medicine
How doctors make choices
Delivering and receiving health care in modern times has become quite complex. The hospitals are multiplex organizations with diverse teams of professionals. The expectations of society from healthcare teams have grown substantially. The doctors are expected to be competent in skills and honest about their practice.
Growing research in medical science means that more and more new treatments are now available, often too difficult for laypersons to comprehend.
The delivery of care in such an environment requires careful considerations centred on the patient's needs and expectations. From the outlook, medicine appears to be drenched in science. However, the core the medical science is medical ethics. It guides physicians to deliver scientific knowledge in a way that keeps a living individual functioning in society.
To make this decision-making patient-centred, Beauchamp and Childress proposed the four principle approach to decision-making in health care in their book on Medical ethics.
Autonomy
Individuals have absolute authority and right to make decisions about their health
