Autonomy versus beneficence

Abstract

This work discusses the principles of autonomy and beneficence. It sets the relationship between these two concepts by means of a bibliographical assessment, whose proposal is to point out the Historical evolution of medical ethics, from Hippocratic age to present. In face of new moral, bioethical and ethical perspectives, arising from contemporaneousness, the discussion indicates that a medical decision-making model based on respect to autonomy seems to be ideal, in spite of its difficult articulation with the classical parameters that guides the doctor-patient relationship, as highlighted by the domestic and international literature. Finally it concludes that one lives a paradigmatic transitional situation, in which the governing model does not provide effective answers and its substitute has not been established yet, suggesting adoption of strategies in order to stimulate the debate within the Academy, prioritizing patient’s autonomy.