How Much Patient Autonomy Is Too Much?

A gentleman named Mr X, in his 60s, came into my clinic one morning with a frowning face. “Doctor, I’ve been seeing bubbles in my urine for a long time. I must have problems in my kidneys, right?” After a short pause, MrXshowed me his cell phone. It contained multiple images of the water in his toilet. Indeed, there were bubbles covering the toilet water’s surface. MrXbegan speaking quickly. He was clearly concerned. He was worried about impending kidney failure if his urine bubbles were not “treated promptly.”