2. Which of the following is NOT a reason that the final say in a treatment decision should be in the hands of the patient rather than the doctor? If treatment decisions were ultimately up to the doctor, doctors would be tempted to make decisions that promote their own interests over their patients’— and some would likely abuse their power in this way. Every patient has a different set of interests and values relevant to treatment. So if it were up to them, doctors would sometimes make unintentional but significant mistakes in understanding a patient’s priorities and, thus, in deciding which treatment to pursue. In a pluralistic society, doctors sometimes strongly disagree with the values and priorities of their patients. So if it were up to them how to treat such patients, some would likely choose the treatment they prefer, knowingly contradicting what the patient would choose. Although doctors claim to be medical experts, most lack the knowledge, observational talents, and analytic skills needed to make sound medical judgments and sufficiently reliable treatment decisions. Correct! Wrong!
