Patient’s autonomy: a situational analysis of an emergency unit

Abstract

The emergency units constitute an important report of observed conditions of the health system, functioning as an information source for surveillance actions. The physician-patient relationship, based on humanitarian, ethical and legal grounds, ensure a correct diagnosis and treatment. The informed consent is a prerequisite of this relationship, the practical expression of, relating to the autonomy of patients. Autonomy includes the ability to self-determination, think and act independently. The disease threatens the integrity -harming of human choice and decision making, conditions which physicians should encourage patient’s participation of the throughout the process. The objective is to discuss medical procedures with patients undergoing emergency surgeries under the ethical perspective. Descriptive, qualitative research, conducted through individual semi-structured interviews, with the patient who had undergone traditional cholecystectomy in the period from July to November 2011, at the clinic of Trauma and Emergency Surgery of a university hospital. It was concluded that the physician-patient relationship in the sector of hospital emergency department reference has the characteristic of anonymity. At the time of emergency, the patient is faced with the unknown doctor and hospital.