Abstract

BARUTTA, Joaquín  and  VOLLMANN, Jochen. ADVANCE DIRECTIVES IN LATIN AMERICA: AN ETHICAL ANALYSIS WITH A FOCUS ON ARGENTINA. rev.latinoam.bioet. [online]. 2013, vol.13, n.1, pp.80-87. ISSN 1657-4702.

In recent years, advance directives (ADs) have been increasingly incorporated into Latin American societies as an in-strument that allows patients to specify how they would like to be treated in the event that they are no longer competent. Their main goal is, therefore, to increase respect towards the autonomy of patients. However, learning from the experience yielded by ADs in other countries, in order to work out the best way to implement them is important to achieve this end. Identifying potential facilitators and barriers to carry out such a project that can be found in the Latin American context is also important. In this article, we will analyze the evolution of ADs in the U.S., focusing especially on the difficulties faced during this process which arise mainly from an overly individualistic approach to the process of decision-making. In contrast, we will argue that the role usually played by families or other people close to the patient, in Latin American societies offers favorable conditions to implement a more relational approach, able to overcome the problems encountered by the individualistic model. Nevertheless, we will also argue that significant efforts are needed to improve the quality of the physician-patient-family relationship. In particular, overcoming the paternalistic actions still exerted by some physicians, often concerning relatives, constitutes a necessary condition for the implementation of ADs.

Keywords : Advance Directives; Latin America; Argentina; Ethics and Culture.

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