ABSTRACT
As patient autonomy is increasingly valued and respected in clinic,"patient participation" in clinical decision making has been gradually concerned, while it has been also questioned. Through reviewing the history of the concept of "patient participation", this paper expounded the meaning of "patient participation" in clinical decision making and its theoretical and practical significance from the perspective of deontology and utility theory. On this basis, this paper discussed the main practical ethical issues of"patient participation" faced in our country, including the ability and role of patient participation in clinical decision making, the challenge of"families involvement" in clinical decision making to "patient participation", to solve people' s doubts about the practical application of "patient participation" in clinical decision making.