Final answer:
The Patient Self-Determination Act protects health care consumers by ensuring they can exercise their right to make informed decisions about their health care through advance directives and by mandating that health care institutions provide information about these rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA) enhances the principle of autonomy by ensuring that patients have the right to make informed decisions about their own health care. It protects health care consumers by recognizing their right to formulate advance directives, which are legal documents that dictate their health care preferences in the event they are incapacitated and unable to communicate their decisions. These directives include the selection of a health care proxy to make decisions on their behalf and instructions for potential end-of-life care. Furthermore, the PSDA mandates that health care institutions receiving federal funds under Medicare and Medicaid provide patients with information about their rights to make such decisions. This aligns with the principle of beneficence by promoting actions that are for the good of the patient, ensuring their preferences are respected and upheld in clinical settings.