Assume you are an administrator at a major metropolitan hospital. A patient in your hospital wants to undergo a high-risk procedure, even after the patient’s healthcare providers have informed the patient of the risks.
Consider the legal and ethical obligations borne by you as the hospital administrator and the healthcare professionals caring for the patient.
Develop an original response to these questions, including citing actual examples:
Should the physicians who perform the procedure bear responsibility if the patient is injured as a result of the procedure?
Should the patient share some of the responsibility for the outcome?
How much of the legal and ethical obligation rests with the institution?