Law and medical ethics in geriatric patient: Current perspectives and a literature review

Abstract

Background: In the field of geriatrics, ethical issues (including the law) are very important, even among various branches of medicine, possibly in this branch that ethics and law have the most crucial role. Those several issues need special attention in Indonesia, in which geriatrics is a field of science which was just starting to develop. Therefore, some of the following ethical principles which will be put forward have often not yet present/executed in Indonesia. Meaning and knowledge regarding this matter will give a picture concerning how ethical and legal issues on the elderly patient should be enforced. Objective: This review aims to explore further about the law and medical ethics in geriatric patient. Method: A review of relevant literature was performed to elaborate the law and medical ethics in geriatric patient. A total of 12 qualified published literature of all years until 2019 were collected from several electronic database and manual search and included in this review. Result: According to the law and medical ethics in geriatric patient, there were several considerations that need to carried out in the service of the elderly patient, those are ethical principles, directives of patient’s wish, administration of life sustaining device, condition of geriatric in unconscious/deep coma, approach to the patient, and religious and ethical aspects. Conclusion: In the practice of geriatric services in our country, several aspects should be a considerations by following the law and medical ethics.