Posted: July 25th, 2017

A 95-year-old woman in a nursing home has had advanced vascular dementia, severe dysphagia, and a 9-kg (20-lb) weight loss over the past 2 months. Her four children are divided regarding the decision to provide artificial feeding through a gastrostomy tube. There is no living will. The oldest son approaches the physician after a family meeting and says, “You should simply decide what is best for her and tell the others that’s what we should do.” Assuming the physician proceeds in this manner, which of the following best describes the physician’s action?

A 95-year-old woman in a nursing home has had
advanced vascular dementia, severe dysphagia,
and a 9-kg (20-lb) weight loss over the past 2
months. Her four children are divided regarding
the decision to provide artificial feeding through
a gastrostomy tube. There is no living will. The
oldest son approaches the physician after a
family meeting and says, “You should simply
decide what is best for her and tell the others
that’s what we should do.” Assuming the
physician proceeds in this manner, which of the
following best describes the physician’s action?
(A) Paternalism
(B) Preserving fairness in use of resources
(C) Protecting patient autonomy
(D) Rationing care
(E) Truth-telling