Undermining autonomy and consent: the transformative experience of disease

Area of Science:

• Medical Ethics
• Philosophy of Medicine
• Bioethics

Background:

• Disease is a profound life event, often qualifying as a transformative experience.
• Transformative experiences, per Paul's philosophy, can disrupt rational decision-making frameworks.
• This disruption poses challenges to established medical ethics principles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply philosophical theories of transformative experience to medical ethics.
• To investigate how disease-related transformations impact patient autonomy and informed consent.
• To highlight the ethical and policy implications of disease as a transformative experience.

Main Methods:

• Philosophical analysis using Paul's theory of transformative experience.
• Expansion of the theory by Carel and Kidd applied to the context of illness.
• Examination of the impact on core tenets of medical ethics, including autonomy and informed consent.

Main Results:

• Disease acts as a transformative experience that can diminish rational decision-making capacity.
• This transformation can undermine the principles of respect for patient autonomy and informed consent.
• Such effects, though potentially limited in scope, are critical for ethical considerations.

Conclusions:

• Disease-induced transformative experiences necessitate a re-evaluation of patient autonomy and informed consent.
• Medical ethics and health policy must address the challenges posed by diminished rational decision-making in patients.
• Further research is crucial to understand and navigate these complex ethical issues.