Resumen de Valori e limiti del modello dell'autonomia decisionale in sanità: Una prospettiva filosofica
This essay aims at highlighting the reasons for the autonomy in making decisions and the trend of yielding to subjectivism. individualism and even rationalism that autonomy may cause. A reason for autonomy is the necessity of humanising the health service, listening to the patients' wishes and aspirations, therefore avoiding considering them as passive objects of the medical care. Another reason is the distinctive character of medicine that is a probabilistic and statistical discipline: this reason highlights the importance of the autonomy of those who have to make risky decisions.
But the autonomy cannot only be the patient's and the doctor's autonomy: they are not mere performers of decisions imposed by others. Furthermore, autonomy cannot be considered as a whim, as a choice completely separated from any rational criterion or from any system of moral values. Finally autonomy is not always and only the autonomy of a healthy adult who is able to intend and will and who is able to express himself/herself using a coherent language, but it can also be the residual autonomy, expressed by those who are not able to speak any more using non-verbal communication
