School of Law, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK.
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Carleton Clinic, Cumwhinton Drive, Carlisle, CA1 3SX, UK.
Health Care Anal. 2020 Sep;28(3):283-298. doi: 10.1007/s10728-020-00396-9.
The 2015 UK Supreme Court judgment in Montgomery v Lanarkshire reinforces the importance of informed consent to medical treatment. This paper suggests that Montgomery recognises the challenge faced by vulnerable individuals in choosing between treatment options and making decisions with appreciation of information about material risks. The judgment endorses a form of weak paternalism to safeguard such persons, which is not disrespectful of the aggregate principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. But ethical practice requires professionals to tread carefully between weak and hard paternalism in the context of therapeutic interactions with vulnerable patients, while ensuring their awareness of material risks.
2015 年英国最高法院在 Montgomery v Lanarkshire 一案中的判决，再次强调了知情同意在医疗中的重要性。本文认为，Montgomery 案承认了弱势个体在选择治疗方案和在了解物质风险信息后做出决策时所面临的挑战。该判决认可了一种弱势家长主义形式，以保护此类人群，这并不违背 2005 年《精神能力法》的总体原则。但在与弱势患者进行治疗性互动的情况下，职业道德要求专业人员在弱家长主义和强家长主义之间谨慎行事，同时确保他们了解物质风险。
