Download or read book The Regulation of Individual Autonomy in Medical Decision-making written by Jaime Staples King and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 574 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the United States, federal and state governments affect medical decision-making through numerous direct and indirect channels. For instance, government intervention can enhance individual decision-making by ensuring a range of treatment options, protect individuals and society from harm by limiting treatment options, and encourage compliance with a preferred treatment plan. This dissertation examines government intervention in individual medical decision-making in three distinct areas of medical care. Health services research raises significant questions about the fundamental assumptions of our informed consent laws. After finding that current informed consent laws fail to protect patients' ability to make informed medical decisions, the first article analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of adopting shared medical decision-making as an alternative to current informed consent requirements. The article concludes that the long-term benefits of shared decision-making and the use of evidence based decision aids to promote patient understanding and inform medical decision-making outweigh the costs for both patients and physicians.