Article: "I can put the medicine in his soup, Doctor!"

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Title"I can put the medicine in his soup, Doctor!"
AuthorsWong, JGWS1
Poon, Y2
Hui, EC1
Issue Date2005
PublisherB M J Publishing Group. The Journal's web site is located at http://jme.bmjjournals.com/
CitationJournal Of Medical Ethics, 2005, v. 31 n. 5, p. 262-265 [How to Cite?]
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jme.2003.007336
AbstractThe practice of covertly administering medication is controversial. Although condemned by some as overly paternalistic, others have suggested that it may be acceptable if patients have permanent mental incapacity and refuse needed treatment. Ethical, legal, and clinical considerations become more complex when the mental incapacity is temporary and when the medication actually serves to restore autonomy. We discuss these issues in the context of a young man with schizophrenia. His mother had been giving him antipsychotic medication covertly in his soup. Should the doctor continue to provide a prescription, thus allowing this to continue? We discuss this case based on the "four principles" ethical framework, addressing the conflict between autonomy and beneficence/non-maleficence, the role of antipsychotics as an autonomy restoring agent, truth telling and the balance between individual versus family autonomy.
ISSN0306-6800
2011 Impact Factor: 1.363
2011 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.098
DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jme.2003.007336
PubMed Central IDPMC1734145
ReferencesReferences in Scopus
DC Field
Value
dc.contributor.authorWong, JGWS
dc.contributor.authorPoon, Y
dc.contributor.authorHui, EC
dc.date.accessioned2007-01-29T08:51:37Z
dc.date.available2007-01-29T08:51:37Z
dc.date.issued2005
dc.description.abstractThe practice of covertly administering medication is controversial. Although condemned by some as overly paternalistic, others have suggested that it may be acceptable if patients have permanent mental incapacity and refuse needed treatment. Ethical, legal, and clinical considerations become more complex when the mental incapacity is temporary and when the medication actually serves to restore autonomy. We discuss these issues in the context of a young man with schizophrenia. His mother had been giving him antipsychotic medication covertly in his soup. Should the doctor continue to provide a prescription, thus allowing this to continue? We discuss this case based on the "four principles" ethical framework, addressing the conflict between autonomy and beneficence/non-maleficence, the role of antipsychotics as an autonomy restoring agent, truth telling and the balance between individual versus family autonomy.
dc.description.naturepublished_or_final_version
dc.format.extent68888 bytes
dc.format.extent26112 bytes
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/msword
dc.identifier.citationJournal Of Medical Ethics, 2005, v. 31 n. 5, p. 262-265 [How to Cite?]
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jme.2003.007336
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jme.2003.007336
dc.identifier.epage265
dc.identifier.hkuros97826
dc.identifier.isiWOS:000228806100004
dc.identifier.issn0306-6800
2011 Impact Factor: 1.363
2011 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.098
dc.identifier.issue5
dc.identifier.openurl
dc.identifier.pmcidPMC1734145
dc.identifier.pmid15863680
dc.identifier.scopuseid_2-s2.0-18844434914
dc.identifier.spage262
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/42513
dc.identifier.volume31
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherB M J Publishing Group. The Journal's web site is located at http://jme.bmjjournals.com/
dc.publisher.placeUnited Kingdom
dc.relation.ispartofJournal of Medical Ethics
dc.relation.referencesReferences in Scopus
dc.rightsJournal of Medical Ethics. Copyright © B M J Publishing Group.
dc.rightsCreative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License
dc.subject.meshAntipsychotic agents - administration & dosage
dc.subject.meshEthics, medical
dc.subject.meshFood
dc.subject.meshSchizophrenia - drug therapy
dc.subject.meshPhysician-patient relations
dc.title"I can put the medicine in his soup, Doctor!"
dc.typeArticle
Author Affiliations
  1. The University of Hong Kong
  2. Queen Mary Hospital Hong Kong