fundamentals
Informed Consent
Refusing care
People who have legal and clinical capacity have the right to refuse any medical care. They may refuse care even if it is something almost everyone else would accept or something that is clearly life-saving. For example, a person having a heart attack can decide to leave the hospital even if that may lead to death. Even if other people think the decision is wrong or irrational, the decision to refuse treatment cannot be used by itself as proof that the person is incapacitated. In many cases, people refuse treatment based on fear, misunderstanding, or lack of trust. But refusal may also be a product of Depression , A refusal of care should prompt the doctor to initiate further discussion to determine why the patient refuses care and whether any concerns the patient has about accepting care can be corrected. For example, patients who refuse care because they cannot afford it could be helped to apply for public benefits such as Medicaid or be told that a suitable payment plan could be arranged. A patient's competent refusal of treatment is not considered to be attempted suicide, nor is the doctor’s compliance with the patient's refusal legally considered Physician Aid in Dying (formerly, Assisted Suicide) (formerly called doctor-assisted suicide). Rather, any subsequent death is legally considered to be a natural consequence of the disease process itself. Sometimes, a patient's refusal of treatment may harm others. For example, patients who refuse treatment of certain infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, place other people at risk of infection. Also, people who refuse to allow treatment of others, such as a minor child or a dependent adult, may place that other person’s health at risk. In such cases, doctors often consult lawyers, judges, and experts in ethics. 