Agency

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Agency (Medicine)

Agency (pronounced: /ˈeɪdʒənsi/) in the context of medicine refers to the capacity of an individual to act independently and make their own free choices. It is a fundamental concept in patient-centered care and bioethics.

Etymology

The term "agency" originates from the Latin word agens, meaning "doing" or "performing". In the medical context, it was first used in the late 20th century to describe the autonomy of patients in making decisions about their health.

Related Terms

  • Patient Autonomy: The right of patients to make decisions about their medical care without their health care provider trying to influence the decision.
  • Informed Consent: A process for getting permission before conducting a healthcare intervention on a person.
  • Bioethics: The study of the ethical issues emerging from advances in biology and medicine.
  • Healthcare Provider: An individual or an institution that provides preventive, curative, promotional, or rehabilitative health care services in a systematic way to individuals, families or communities.
  • Patient-centered Care: A healthcare approach where the patient is seen as a whole person, not just a disease or a condition.

See Also

References


External links

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