Further clarification and consideration of what constitutes the best interests of an incompetent person

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K00006
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 01010:Philosophy and ethics-related
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: HIKASA Haruka (日笠晴香) 岡山大学, ヘルスシステム統合科学学域, 講師 (50724449)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 工藤 洋子 東北福祉大学, 健康科学部, 講師 (70438547)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 意思決定 / 最善の利益 / 自律 / 選好 / 代理決定基準 / 認知症 / 遷延性意識障害

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The study considered the ‘best interests’ of the incompetent person and clarified the followings; (1) the various semantic contents of interests according to the status of retained abilities and functions, and the different contexts in which the components of ‘best interests’ in the theoretical framework of general surrogate decision-making standards are captured, (2) the extent to which the current preferences of the incompetent person can be given priority over the best interests based on objective judgments, (3) the factors which people involved in the care of people with dementia have considered and emphasized in medical care and other decision-making for people with dementia.

Free Research Field

生命倫理、臨床倫理

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、対応能力を欠く人の保持する能力や状態を踏まえて、意思決定における本人の利益の要素を検討し、それらの構成要素のうちの何が優先されるかの理論的根拠を明らかにした。これにより、生命倫理学の従来の代理決定基準の枠組みを再構築することに寄与し得る点で学術的意義がある。また、実践的検討をふまえた理論的考察により、対応能力を欠く人の「最善の利益」にかなう臨床的な意思決定プロセスのモデル構築に資する点で、社会的意義があると考えられる。