The health care sector is currently in a process of economization which, undoubtedly, has an impact an the relationship of physician and patient. In this article, elements of the new institutional economics are applied to the physician-patient-relationship in the sense of a descriptive heuristics. The authors find out that based on the principal-agent-theory paradoxical action settings of the physician (here paradigmatically subsumed under the paradox of hilling and the paradox of neutrality) can be located. It is necessary for policy makers involved in health care to consider these paradoxes. Furthermore, health literacy of lay persons supported by widespread information technology lessens the information gap between physician and patient which changes their interaction with a lasting effect. Based on this analysis the authors recommend not only to focus an individual ethics of the physician but rather to consider approaches of institutional ethics and incentive systems.

Enthalten in:
Zeitschrift für Evangelische Ethik; 2003/1 Kommentare, Studien, Berichte, Dokumentationen, Diskussionen, Rezensionen, Bibliographie (2003)

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Serie / Reihe: Zeitschrift für Evangelische Ethik

Personen: Eurich, Johannes Brink, Alexander Langer, Andreas Schröder, Peter

Schlagwörter: Medizin Gesundheitswesen Arzt Medizinische Ethik Patient