The adult, competent patient has the ability to be involved in decisions regarding care and treatment. The critically ill patient, who is incompetent or incapacitated will be unable to speak for herself and yet, decisions will need to continue to be made. Decisions should reflect the values and beliefs of the patient. In health care we have determined that one of the best methods of preserving the autonomy of the patient through the reflection of values and beliefs is by involving a surrogate decision-maker. This thesis examines the many facets and factors that define the complex role of surrogacy. The role is described by reviewing literature on the current legal standards of decision-making, by analysing the data describing patient-surrogate preferences and the relevancy of such factors as culture and religion as facilitators or inhibitors in the decision-making process. The thesis suggests that a shared decision-making approach could provide the key to a partnership between the health care professional and the surrogates to assist in the preservation of patient autonomy.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.33756 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Evans, Jane, 1954- |
| Contributors | Glass, Kathleen (advisor), Carnevale, Franco (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Division of Experimental Medicine.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001864126, proquestno: MQ78873, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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