Ethical considerations of giving patients choices

Customer service is becoming the watchword if companies are to remain competitive. This direction toward customer service has promoted the development of patient-centered services in the healthcare industry. However, creating these services is not easy. This article discusses the application of ethical principles in designing a patient-centered approach from the experience of a university hospital. It addresses some of the issues that a hospital must consider while working to become more user friendly for its "customers": its patients and their family members and visitors.