Reflexion zur Gerechtigkeit bei Therapieentscheidungen

In addition to respecting the right to autonomy and the principles of beneficence and non-harm, the best medical care must also fulfil the requirements of justice. Medical decision-making must be guided by both distributive justice and the “ius suum” of the respective patient in order to make a decision in the spirit of “right care”. Right care is orientated towards the greatest patient benefit, based on a realistic treatment goal and the resulting individual indication. Doctors comply with the principle of justice in their decision-making when they strictly determine indications, consider the individual benefits of a technically possible treatment for the patient, and are guided by the patient’s wishes and values. This could avoid a large part of the overtreatment taking place today and its negative consequences.