An Overview of Medical Care and the Paternalism Approach: An Evaluation of Current Ethical Theories and Principles of Bioethics in the Light of Physician-Patient Relationships

Abstract

People talk about medical and health care as a relationship between a doctor and a patient in which the patient's worries are shared. The doctor's job is to listen, figure out what is wrong, and explain how to treat it. Ethical rules at the national and international levels say that doctors must do what is right and beneficial for their patients. There is no doubt that this is beneficial for patients from a conceptual standpoint. Doctors have always been able to act against what their patients want if it is in their long-term interest. Even though the focus on individual freedom and control is increasing, society no longer accepts medical paternalism as the most effective way to make decisions about health care. This is because of the strong focus on individual freedom and control. In the past, most doctor-patient relations were based on one-sided decisions that were always made by the treating doctor. Medical paternalism resulted from this. The idea of medical paternalism assumes that doctors and other medical workers know more about the human body than patients do. In this approach, patients' needs, and opinions are ignored. The principle of respecting autonomy as a whole is violated by this action. But it should be said that a decision-making method based on the patient's complete freedom is also not good. A patient's values and points of view should be considered when providing medical care. A model of shared decision-making can help doctors and patients communicate in the most effective way. If the doctor is kind, the patient can make meaningful decisions that are in their long-term interest, even when the final decision is theirs. Relationships between doctors and patients must be based on trust, with doctors and patients communicating in a way that puts the patient's needs first. This article talks about medical paternalism, its history, different types of medical paternalism, paternalism and ethical theories, as well as arguments for and against medical paternalism. In conclusion, medical paternalism is not okay in modern medicine because it takes away the freedom of the patient. The recommendation would be to create a module that integrates the physician-patient relationship. This topic deserves further research.