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  • Essay / Principles of Autonomy in Medical Practice

    Autonomy is defined as “autonomy” or “self-determination,” which implies the ability to think, decide, and act on the basis of this thought and this decision, freely and independently. In medical practice, autonomy applies when the patient must have capacity for thought, intention and action when making decisions regarding any medical intervention and must be free from coercion or cajoling . For a patient to make a fully informed decision, they must understand all of the risks and benefits of the procedure as well as the likelihood of success of the proposed procedure as well as the alternative procedure. Here, the professionalism of a doctor is required to better explain the benefits and complications of healthcare procedures as well as provide good advice in the best interest of his patient to help him make a decision. With sufficient relevant and necessary information provided to the patient, the patient is able to make their own decision regarding the application of autonomy. According to this principle, the patient also has the right to refuse medical intervention and the doctor must respect his decision and not do anything that goes against the patient's wishes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayAccording to Reyden in the South African Journal of Occupational Therapist (2008), regarding the right to respect for autonomy, as for doctors, they must fully understand the concept and implication of the ethical principle and professional duty of respect for the patient or the autonomy of the client. Furthermore, they must not only integrate respect for patient/client autonomy into daily practice, but also be able to facilitate the development of this capacity in order to improve all interventions. In this case, the patient was a 10-year-old girl, which is considered a minor, under Act 21 relating to the Age of Maturity in the Age of Majority Act, 1971, which states that in Malaysia, the age of maturity is 18 years. In other words, she was an incompetent patient with no decision-making capacity. Therefore, his parents (his mother) can give consent on his behalf. According to the story, her mother decided to take spinal anesthesia (SA) for her daughter's ganglion cyst surgery instead of general anesthesia (GA) based on her knowledge at that time- there after being informed of the complications of GA which outweighed the risk of SA. by the anesthetist of the anesthesia clinic. However, in the ward, one day before her daughter's operation date, an anesthesiologist came to obtain her consent for the GA procedure without asking her views and opinions. The patient's mother refused to sign the consent form, leading to the procedure being canceled the following day. The patient was subsequently discharged and rescheduled for surgery. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized document from our expert writers now. Get a personalized essay. Paternalism occurred in this case where the anesthesiologist attempted to limit the autonomy of the patient's mother by deciding to ignore her decision and leave her without further questions or explanation of the situation. According to Ilemona et. al. (2012), the problem of paternalism usually arises when there is a conflict between the principles of autonomy and beneficence. For example, a paternalistic physician intends to act in the patient's best interest without fully considering and understanding the point of..