[Conscientious objection in the clinical setting. A proposal for its appropriate use (II)]

Social changes and new technologies have brought new problems in doctor-patient relationship. In many clinical contexts conscientious objection is misused, with negative effects for patients, healthcare professionals and institutions. In this article an attempt will be made to clarify the problem from a clinical point of view, assessing the increase in risks in clinical praxis due to patient choice, the complexity of current clinical praxis, and the appropriate use of life support measures. Likewise, it analyses socially controversial ethical values and professional practices with no curative value and with no clinical indication in the physiological sense.