Ethics & Law · single question
A court-appointed legal guardian (wife) is present for a patient who had a stroke 2 years ago. The patient's wife can sign his consent form by using which principle of ethics?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. Autonomy
When a patient lacks decision-making capacity and a legal guardian has been appointed, the guardian exercises the patient's right to autonomous decision-making through the principle of SUBSTITUTED JUDGMENT (acting as the patient would have wanted) or BEST INTEREST standard. This is still fundamentally rooted in AUTONOMY — the guardian is standing in for the patient's autonomous rights. The court-appointed guardian exercises autonomy on the patient's behalf.
- A. CORRECT. Autonomy is the right to self-determination in healthcare decisions. When a patient lacks capacity, a court-appointed legal guardian exercises this autonomy on their behalf. The guardian signing the consent form is an expression of the patient's autonomy through a legal surrogate.
- B. INCORRECT. Veracity is the obligation to be truthful with patients. It does not apply to the legal right of a guardian to sign consent forms.
- C. INCORRECT. Justice refers to fair treatment and equitable distribution of resources. It is not the principle underlying surrogate decision-making consent.
- D. INCORRECT. Beneficence means acting in the patient's best interest. While the guardian should act beneficently, the legal basis for signing consent is the surrogate's exercise of the patient's AUTONOMY.