'Whose body is it, anyway?'

"Little more than a decade ago, doctors made the decisions, patients did what they were told. Doctors did not consult patients about their desires and priorities., and routinely withheld information - sometimes crucial information, such as what drugs they were on, what treatments they were being given, and what their diagnosis was" (Complications, 210).

Gawande points out a striking turnaround in attitude towards patient competance and points out a crucial fact later in the same passage--while doctors are the experts on medical knowledge, only patients can have the fianl authority on personal matters. At the junction of these two pools of information, views and values is where the doctor-patient relationship ought to reside. He additionally highlights that patients do not want that autonomy, especially under stressful circumstances. Some sort o fbalance is required respecting botht eh patient's right to information and control in their care as well as the physician's abilities and experiences--without which a doctor would be nothing more than a gatekeeper to prescriptions and procedures. It seems that both patient and doctor need to be open and honest about their preferences and recommendations so that a consensus can be reached between them.