[A concept analysis of autonomy].
Holistic care is the primary focus of today's health care system. Nurses are encouraged to maintain good relationships with their patients and to be sensitive to patient autonomy. Furthermore, patients are increasingly demanding and enjoying the right to join in decision-making processes concerning their treatment plans. The importance of patient autonomy is emphasized in the nursing literature on ethics, but no articles focus on the specific situation in Taiwan. The authors review definitions of and concepts tied to autonomy in the literature, redefine the concept to incorporate additional attributes, and construct example cases. Finally, they list empirical references on the application of the concept and the development of appropriate measures.