Ethical issues related to patient preferences in palliative care

Abstract

"The respect for patient’s autonomy is an ethical principle recognized in many areas of health care including palliative care, but not always the patient’s preferences are respected. A better understanding of ethical issues related to the exercise of patient’s autonomy in Palliative Care is an important step to support ethical judgments in daily practice. Therefore, this study aimed to identify and analyze ethical issues related to patient preferences recognized by professionals in the daily life of a Palliative Care team under the framework of Casuistry. Eleven practitioners were interviewed. The main ethical issues identified are: respect for patient autonomy, veracity and right to information, communication skills, conspiracy of silence, participation in the deliberation process, choice of place of treatment and death."