Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyInformed Consent and Refusal of Care

Emergency medical services transport a 42-year-old woman to the hospital following a large episode of hematemesis at home. She is subsequently diagnosed with a bleeding gastric ulcer. Her blood pressure is 85/50 mm Hg, and her heart rate is 120/min. She is fully alert, oriented, and able to communicate her wishes clearly. The attending physician explains that she urgently needs a blood transfusion, without which she will likely suffer fatal consequences. The patient demonstrates a clear understanding of her clinical condition and the severe risks of refusing treatment. However, she states that she is a Jehovah's Witness and adamantly refuses the transfusion, though she consents to receiving intravenous crystalloid fluids and undergoing an upper endoscopy to control the bleeding. Her husband, who is legally designated as her healthcare proxy, is at the bedside and demands that the physician administer the blood to save his wife's life. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

  1. A
    Administer the blood transfusion because the designated healthcare proxy has consented to the treatment
  2. B
    Obtain an urgent psychiatric consultation to formally assess the patient's decision-making capacity
  3. Proceed with intravenous fluids and endoscopy without administering blood productsAnswer
  4. D
    Administer the blood transfusion under the emergency exception to informed consent
  5. E
    Seek an urgent court order to administer the life-saving blood transfusion against the patient's wishes

Answer

Proceed with intravenous fluids and endoscopy without administering blood products.
The correct answer properly applies the principle of patient autonomy. A competent adult patient has the fundamental right to refuse any medical intervention, even if that refusal will likely result in death. In this scenario, the patient is fully alert, oriented, and understands the severe consequences of her decision, demonstrating clear decision-making capacity. Therefore, her refusal of a blood transfusion must be honored. The physician should proceed with the treatments she has consented to (intravenous fluids and endoscopy) and cannot be compelled by the husband to act otherwise.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Assess the patient's decision-making capacity.
The patient is alert, oriented, and understands her condition and the consequences of refusing treatment, indicating she has full capacity.
Capacity must be established to determine if the patient's refusal of care is legally and ethically valid.
2
Determine the role of the healthcare proxy.
The husband's authority as a proxy is not active because the patient retains decision-making capacity.
Surrogate decision-makers only have authority when the primary patient is incapacitated.
3
Formulate a management plan that respects patient autonomy.
Honor the patient's refusal of blood products while providing all other consented treatments.
Competent adults have the right to refuse any medical intervention, including life-saving therapies.

Key Concept

Competent adults have the right to refuse any medical treatment, including life-saving interventions, and surrogate decision-makers cannot override a competent patient's explicit refusal.
Rate this question

Topics

Informed Consent and Refusal of Care

More questions from this topic