A recent survey reveals that more than 80% of medical personnel would order unnecessary MRI investigation in response to patient's request. The survey result reflects that health care practitioners may face a dilemma of how to balance between "respecting patient's autonomy" and "insisting on professional autonomy". The survey also reveals that an adequate protection for medical personnel's legal rights and interests, the trust-based doctor-patient relationship, the better operating environment and the harmonious public opinion context may encourage medical personnel to stick to their professional decision. This paper analyses the ethical confusions implied by the survey result and argues that the physicians have duty to respect patient's values. However, it is also shown that the patient's autonomy should be respected only under certain conditions and protecting patient's autonomy shall not become the argument for violating physician's professional autonomy. Based on further ethical analysis and empirical study, this paper proposes that:1. Physicians have moral responsibility to fully disclose all relevant medical information to patients. 2. Improving the communication between doctors and patients is essential for a trust-based doctor-patient partnership. 3. To create a harmonious doctor-patient relationship, it is necessary to provide an adequate protection for physician's legal rights and interests, improve the operating environment and strengthen the regulation of the press.

medical practitioner  /  patient's autonomy  /  MRI investigation  /  medical professionalism