Page 682 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 21 March 1990
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decision-making are also affecting professional relationships with the health system and the levels of autonomy and responsibility of other professional workers, for example, physiotherapists, chiropractors, dietitians, midwives and people of that kind. I do not criticise the report for that omission; it is obviously a major work and clearly requires careful consultation before any conclusions can be drawn about particular professional groups. I do believe, however, that the start made in the case of doctors is a useful one and appropriate extrapolations in the case of other professionals should be considered.
I think that increased debate on informed consent issues may well lead to related issues such as the right to die without treatment, euthanasia, the right to refuse treatment and the responsibilities as well as the rights of both clients and professionals all being considered in a better light. If the report is a catalyst in providing informed public debate on these issues, as well as those contained within it, I think it will have proved very useful.
Within the scope of this report there is some capacity for very useful debate within the ACT. Ms Follett made reference to the attitude of doctors and the problems that that gives rise to and, of course, I acknowledge there has been a problem. I think she was possibly quoting from the report when she described doctors as being, on occasions, aloof and condescending towards client groups. I agree that that is an issue which has to be addressed in this debate. But doctors are not the only professional group, or indeed the only group, providing a service to the community in which that kind of thing occurs. It is particularly keenly felt in the case of doctors because, in a sense, our lives are in their hands and naturally people want to have advice and information on a one-on-one basis, rather than feeling that they are being told what is best for them.
As I said before, I hope that this report will lead to a better debate on this subject, that it will lead to better information about what is available, what is legally possible and what is appropriate and, in particular, will generate debate within the medical profession itself such that the standard of care being provided and communication are both improved.
MR WOOD (5.05): Mr Speaker, it is the case that a significant factor in the consent for medical procedures that a patient gives a doctor is the requirement that the patient is fully informed about any such procedures. It is not sufficient for either the patient or the doctor to believe that a patient need only have a basic trust in the doctor. A doctor may be negligent if he or she does not properly inform the patient of all that is involved in treatment and the outcomes of the treatment, and I would refer to a passage in the document quoting Mr Justice Cox, who said:
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