Dr. Gawande’s Respect for Patient Autonomy in Whose Body...

In his article â€Å"Whose Body Is It, Anyway?†Ã¢â‚¬â€appearing in the New Yorker in October 1994—Dr. Atul Gawande highlights the complexities of the doctor-patient relationship vis-à  -vis patient autonomy and decision-making. Dr. Gawande explains that a respect for patient autonomy (i.e., allowing patients to choose between courses of treatment, therefore directly influencing their health outcome) is the â€Å"new normal† for medical practitioners. However, Gawande also contends that there are times when patients are better served by a voluntary relinquishment of that autonomy. Dr. Gawande shares a personal story with the reader to make his case. He tells us about his daughter Hunter, who suddenly stopped breathing at 11-days-old. Dr. Gawande’s wife quickly noticed the respiratory stoppage, shook Hunter, and her breathing started anew. The Gawande family immediately took Hunter to the hospital where, in an environment guided by the â€Å"orthodoxy of patient autonomy†, a team of physicians presented them with different treatment options and asked them to choose their preferred course of action. Dr. Gawande was a trained, licensed, practicing physician – surely he would be better equipped than most to make such a decision. Yet, here are his thoughts at that critical moment: â€Å"Even if I made what I was sure was the right choice for her, I could not live with the guilt if something went wrong†¦ I needed Hunter’s physicians to bear the responsibility; they could live with the consequences, good or