Our modern societies have always given special prominence to patients’ rights, but rarely acknowledged the existence of their responsibilities. However, rights have to be fully balanced with obligations. Patients are not only duty-bound by the traditional relationship they have with medical professionals, but also by their role in society through healthcare. Nowadays, as societies cannot afford irresponsible behaviour from the public in health care systems, more attention has been paid to patients’ duties. These do not just have moral consequences, but also legal ones. Can a patient be held responsible for a bad outcome in a medical treatment? Recent debates have shown that this question is a global problem and it therefore requires an international overview. Such a study will help to clarify patients’ duties and show how the legal system deals with them and what has been done so far to engage more patients in their own health.
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