Abstract
The previous chapter discussed how the empirical data were collected and how this material was processed and analysed. This chapter presents an overview of the most striking findings of the initial analysis of the case material collected. As explained in Chapter 3, I analysed the empirical material by comparing it with the theories and concepts concerning patient autonomy taken from the literature. Consequently, the following description of the observations and aspects I found most remarkable and interesting in hospital practice is a description of practice seen from a theoretical perspective. It contains the observations that were the most striking in light of the theories that were presented in Chapter 1 and, more importantly, in Chapter 2.
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These problems with understanding and discussing well-being are related to the problems mentioned previously concerning patients for whom the goal of rapid, complete and problem-free recovery is not attainable. When other goals must be found and agreed upon, and when one has to deal with uncertainty, disabilities and possible decline, questions about well-being become more pressing.
Usually, capacities for understanding and remembering were the most important capacities that were lacking. Sometimes a depression was believed to affect a person’s decision-making abilities. Capacities for deliberation or rational reasoning, or the possession of a set of values and goals were usually not taken into consideration.
Actually, the occasions I observed were very rare but in discussions with physicians and in the public media, the issue of the ‘demanding’ patient regularly came up. Perhaps this phenomenon is more frequent in other health care settings (such as general practice or in outpatient clinics) and among groups of patients other than the elderly patients I observed (probably the group of younger and higher educated patients).
In part, I believe this is an empirical matter and a subject for psychological research. On a more conceptual level, some interesting work has been done by Lelie (1999), in her discussion of implicit normativity in physician-patient communication.
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© 2002 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Schermer, M. (2002). Autonomy in Hospital Practice: Results of the Initial Analysis. In: The Different Faces of Autonomy. Library of Ethics and Applied Philosophy, vol 13. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9972-6_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9972-6_4
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-6161-4
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