Re-Evaluating Professional Autonomy in Health Care

Author: Ten Have H.

Source: Theoretical Medicine, Volume 21, Number 5, September 2000 , pp. 503-513(11)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

Professional autonomy, as the symbol of the traditional freedom of decision-making of medical professionals is criticized. This essay examines the critique. It analyses the underlying assumption that the autonomy of health professionals is incompatible with the need for organisation and management in order to control rising health care costs. It is argued that the concept of professional autonomy should be redefined, not through restricting the decision-making freedom of individual health professionals, but through expanding the concept into the sphere of management, so that managers will take responsibility for patient care.

Keywords: commodification; economics; ethics; health care; internal morality; managed care; management; market; medicine; physician–patient relationship; professional autonomy

Language: English

Document Type: Regular paper

Affiliations: 1: Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands E-mail: H.tenhave@efg.kun.nl

Publication date: 2000-09-01