Relation soigné soignant : réflexions sur la vulnérabilité et l'autonomie

With a team dedicated to ethical thought from Rhône Alpes area, we have decided to go deeper regarding sick people vulnerability. If every patient can be considered as “vulnerable”, some of them are more vulnerable than others and our law call it “reinforced” vulnerability. Every patient in its majority who is able to express his will benefit from a classical protection but one patient who can't, can benefit from two other protections: common law or health law. If vulnerability can be appreciated regarding to the protection we can offer, it can also be appreciated thanks to a social representation. Indeed a vulnerable person, as an Alzheimer patient, can be qualified as useless and incompetent. This kind of representations contributes to increase the weaknesses of the person, who is already suffering from vulnerability. Contrary to the relationship field which creates vulnerability, in the care field we have to add the “real” weakness provoked by a serious and progressive disease. Although we have experimented and given a lot of thought about vulnerability, we have to admit that it is not only a negative aspect, it is crucial to create a real relationship: without vulnerability, no relation is possible. Vulnerability is generally experienced in a singular form, which is the dependence that portrayed every human being. It is in the relationship between the medical staff and the sick patient based on trust and confidence that autonomy is developed. Thinking about patient vulnerability allow us to make him exist and to consider him as a human being and not only as a sick person.