Ethics of Representing Unrepresented Patients

How should we respond to needs of patients who have neither decision making capacity nor identifiable surrogates? Unrepresented patients—whether homeless, disabled, elderly, or incarcerated, for example—are among our most vulnerable. This issue addresses ethical complexities of making decisions for these patients and of determining just criteria according to which such decisions are made.

Volume 21, Number 7: E547-624 Full Issue PDF