On NPR this morning, a doctor in an emergency psych ward said that a difficult component of her job was determining if an incoming patient was manic, schizophrenic or on drugs. I hypothesized that this might be resolved with a drug test, and wondered if the doctor is allowed to administer one.
I further hypothesized the doctor might be happy to administer a drug test, even if this caused some inconvenience to the patient, in order to be sure of the right treatment. In this case, the patient is presumably unable to give consent. However, I estimate that even in a general case, doctors would often like to override patient preference and administer a needed test regardless of the patient’s assessment of his risk and his unwillingness to be inconvenienced.
If this is true, then doctors have decided this question in favor of circular altruism over personal preference. (This situation is slightly complicated by the fact that perhaps the doctors are influenced by the principle, ‘first, do no harm’ and so would rather do nothing than a potentially damaging treatment.)
Also: a law that drivers must wear seatbelts appears to choose circular altruism over personal preference.
On NPR this morning, a doctor in an emergency psych ward said that a difficult component of her job was determining if an incoming patient was manic, schizophrenic or on drugs. I hypothesized that this might be resolved with a drug test, and wondered if the doctor is allowed to administer one.
I further hypothesized the doctor might be happy to administer a drug test, even if this caused some inconvenience to the patient, in order to be sure of the right treatment. In this case, the patient is presumably unable to give consent. However, I estimate that even in a general case, doctors would often like to override patient preference and administer a needed test regardless of the patient’s assessment of his risk and his unwillingness to be inconvenienced.
If this is true, then doctors have decided this question in favor of circular altruism over personal preference. (This situation is slightly complicated by the fact that perhaps the doctors are influenced by the principle, ‘first, do no harm’ and so would rather do nothing than a potentially damaging treatment.)
Also: a law that drivers must wear seatbelts appears to choose circular altruism over personal preference.