CLE 794: Values in the Physician-Patient Relationship

Course Description

Constant changes in healthcare settings, coupled with rapid advancements in technology, lead to increasingly complicated ethical dilemmas: Who decides what—patients, doctors, or family members—and on what basis? Should patients’ autonomy always be respected, or can physicians act paternalistically towards their patients? What are the ends and norms of the medical profession and how are they determined? Can physicians deviate from these ends and norms and refuse to provide treatment, for example, for conscientious reasons? In this course, we will attempt to answer these (and other) pressing normative questions. In doing so, we will attain an understanding of the complicated network of values at play in the physician-patient relationship. No graduate credit. 2 professional hours. Approved for S/U grading only. Prerequisite: Restricted to students enrolled in Phase 2 or 3 of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine.