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Doctors' rights and patients' duties?
1University of Limburg, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Currently, there is an increasing tendency to convert patients' rights into duties. At least three areas can be identified: The tendency of the health care provider to claim duties of the patient in the doctor-patient relationship; the trend to stipulate conditions when patients are in need of health care delivery; and the evolution towards the formulation of patients' legal duties when third-party interests are involved. The societal tendencies to convert legal rights into legal duties, to require counter-services from the patient and to control patients' behaviour, limit patients' rights to self-determination and essential human rights in health care. Ultimately, intervention through legislation might be necessary.