Paternalism is part of traditional medicine, in which the doctor's authoritarian approach to the patient is dominant. The patient's autonomy in the paternalistic model is either very limited or non-existent. Since the late 1980s, there has been an ongoing critique of paternalistic
approach to the patient. In the 21st century, the prevailing model in the doctor-patient relationship should be the partnership model, in which the patient has a high degree of autonomy and makes his/her own decisions about the method of treatment proposed by the doctor. The aim of this study was to find out patients' opinions on the paternalistic model in the doctor-patient relationship. A group of 500 patients residing in the Mikolaj Pirogow Regional Specialist Hospital in Łódź was surveyed using a questionnaire of our own design, in which we used tools exploring patients' opinions on the paternalistic model in the doctor-patient relationship. The questionnaire survey showed that, in relation to 369 (73.8%) respondents, doctors respected their right to informed participation in decisions concerning their health. 131 (26.2%) patients had a different opinion. In the survey, 464 (92.8%) respondents felt that doctors should not use a paternalistic model in the doctor-patient relationship. Fifteen (3.0%) respondents had a different opinion, while 21 (4.2%) respondents had no opinion on this issue. The results of the questionnaire conducted among patients staying at the Nikolai Pirogov Regional Specialist Hospital in Lodz indicate that patients want doctors to respect their right to informed participation in decision-making regarding their health. The vast majority of respondents believe that doctors should not currently use a paternalistic model in doctor-patient relationships.
https://journals.viamedica.pl/palliative_medicine_in_practice/article/view/28512