Refusal of Treatment: Why must physicians respect the patient's refusal of treatment? It may be tempting for physicians to override the patient's refusal of treatment due to the competing ethical principle of beneficence, or the physician's duty to protect the patient's life. However, physicians must ultimately accept the patient's decision because patients have the right to decline treatment due to their autonomy, or freedom to decide it would be unacceptable and even inhumane if patients were physically and forcefully treated against their will Can all patients refuse treatment?
A patient who refuses treatment must first be well-informed to make the decision, possess proper decision-making capacity to understand the consequences of refusal and make the decision without manipulation or coercion by outsiders. Can competent patients refuse all types of treatment? Yes, they can refuse all…
