A physician admitted an elderly patient to the hospital, where she was treated for an irregular heartbeat and chest pain. The patient was competent to make her own decisions about a course of treatment, but her opinionated and outspoken daughter repeatedly second-guessed the physician's recommendations with medical information she had obtained from the Internet. The daughter wanted to know why the physician was not considering all the findings she found on the internet and claims this was violating her mom's right to informed consent.

Answer the following questions:

1. In your opinion, what responsibilities, if any, does a physician or other health care practitioner have toward difficult family members or other third parties who interfere with a patient's medical care?
2. Do you think the doctor acted ethically by not sharing the alternative treatment discovered by the family? Explain.
3. Under the doctrine of informed consent, should a physician be responsible for informing patients of all treatment options, even if some of the treatments are illegal or not yet proven effective? Explain your answer.
4. End your response by including your own question to the class.