Alcoolisme et fin de vie : une éthique de « l'acte » à l'épreuve d'une éthique du « regard »

The biological, psychological, and social context has an impact on a patient's experience. Depending on their disease, patients are subjected to social judgments or even stigmatization. These processes of evaluation and representation also penetrate the health care setting. The presence of alcoholic patients in a palliative care unit offers ground for analysis of the psycho-social factors intervening in therapeutic interactions. This raises ethical issues concerning one's perception of the “other” Health care workers should be able to identify and control these processes in their daily practice.