What is patient autonomy?

Natalia Prytoliuk
Respect for autonomy stemmed from the recognition that every human being was an unconditional value and was
therefore able to determine his or her own destiny.

Immanuel Kant
 Bioethics
 Ethics is concerned with norms and values, rights and wrongs, what needs to be done
and what not needs to be done under certain circumstances. Physicians and nurses are
deemed to work in the best interest of their patients under ethical considerations and this
requires certain qualities in them such as wisdom, knowledge, honesty, courage,
compassion and so forth.

 Bioethics is the multi-disciplinary study of moral and ethical questions. Bioethical

questions often involve overlapping concerns from diverse fields of study including life
sciences, biotechnology, public health, medicine, law and philosophy.
 Four principles of health care ethics

Autonomy Beneficence Nonmaleficence Justice

entails that health care
professionals should respect
the autonomous decisions of
competent adults
holds that they should aim to
do good—i.e., to promote the
interests of their patients
requires that they should do no holds that they should
harm. act fairly when the
interests of different
individuals or groups
are in competition
The autonomy of the patient
 Autonomy is a term derived from the Greek words autos («itself») and
nomos («custom») .

 Autonomy of the person - the principle based on the unity of the rights of
the doctor and the patient, implying their mutual dialogue, in which the
right of choice and responsibility is not concentrated in the hands of the
doctor, but is divided between him and the patient.

 The principle of respect for the autonomy of the patient is a complex one,
and relates above all to the person who has the capacity and the right to
control her life and health, even to consciously refusing treatment, even if
the decision would cost her life
 Patient autonomy in law

The Law of Ukraine Convention on Human

The Constitution of “Fundamentals of the Rights and
Ukraine. Legislation of Ukraine Biomedicine (Oviedo
on Healthcare” Convention)

Article 28 : everyone has the right to respect of his
or her dignity. No one shall be subjected to torture,
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment that violates his or her dignity. No
person shall be subjected to medical, scientific or
other experiments without his or her free consent.
Article 6 : every citizen of Ukraine has Article 6 : an intervention in the
the right to healthcare, which includes health field may only be carried
the following: reliable and timely out after the person concerned
information on the status of their health has given free and informed
and the health of the population, consent to it.
including existing and possible risk
factors and their degree.
Conclusion
 To sum up I want to say, that the principle of patient autonomy is a fundamental
bioethical principle that is enshrined in the doctrine of medical law and legislated. The
structure of the principle of patient autonomy includes the concept of informed consent
and such basic rights of the patient as the right to choose a doctor, methods of
treatment, health care institutions.
 Scientific research within the framework of analysis of patient autonomy are
promising, as the role and place of the principle of autonomy in the system of medical
law remains uncertain; require more detailed study, development and documentation of
changes to normative acts.
Thank you for your attention!