A patient refuses a treatment. As a manager, what is the most appropriate action?

• A. Respect patient autonomy, assess for understanding, provide information, explore alternatives, and document the decision, while engaging the care team.
• B. Override the patient's decision.
• C. Ignore the refusal and proceed.
• D. Delegate the decision to a family member.

Answer: (A)

Respecting patient autonomy and engaging in informed, shared decision-making is the key idea here. When a patient refuses treatment, the most appropriate action is to ensure they understand their options, provide clear information about risks and benefits, explore reasonable alternatives, assess whether they have decision-making capacity, and document the decision, all while involving the care team to align next steps with the patient’s values and safety. This approach preserves the patient’s rights, supports trust, and creates a clear record for accountability.

Overriding the decision, ignoring the refusal, or handing the decision to a family member without the patient’s consent undermines autonomy and can lead to unsafe or unethical care. If there are concerns about capacity, those should be evaluated and addressed according to policy and law, with appropriate input from the care team.