Mr. B Mr. B, a 70-year-old male client, presented to his primary care physician with complaints of blurred vision and headaches over the last two months. On several visits, Mr. B’s blood pressure was found to be elevated, so the physician started him on hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg by mouth daily

Patients Refusal Over Recommended Treatments Case Study

The ethical and legal principles of healthcare provide patients with the right to refuse medications and other types of treatment (Varkey, 2021). This case of Mr. B refusing to restart his medication after a new diagnosis creates a conflict between the ethical principles of autonomy and beneficence. Therefore, as a health care professional, I must ethically ensure that the patient adheres to their treatment plan. At the same time, I must also ensure that I protect myself and the organization against any liability and claims related to the case of Mr. B. Additionally, in most care settings, although care options are discussed with the patient, care providers tend to overlook the role and preferences of the patient, citing their capacity to make care decisions (Driever et al., 2020).

To responsibly and ethically deal will Mr. B’s refusal to restart his blood pressure medication, the nurse should first seek to understand and address his concerns. Since Mr. B’s concerns arise from his experiences of a recent fall, the nurse should engage him in discussing the new treatment and why he needs to start on the new medication, including the benefits he will gain from taking the new medications. The nurse should also discuss with him the risks that are associated with the new medication he needs to restart. Overall, the nurse should seek to develop a good relationship with the patient. Good nurse-patient relationships create an equal distribution of power and support patient anonymity during care decisions based on professionally provided health advice (Molina-Mula & Gallo-Estrada, 2020). The nurse should then log the details of the incident and report it to their supervisor before administering the new medications to Mr. B.

Some types of medications increase the risk of falls. The health care team would have prevented Mr. B’s fall by collaborating closely with the patient throughout the medication process and educating the patient on the side effects of the medication and the proper use of the medication.

References

Driever, E. M., Stiggelbout, A. M., & Brand, P. L. (2020). Shared decision making: physicians’ preferred role, usual role, and their perception of its key components. Patient education and counseling, 103(1), 77-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2019.08.004

Molina-Mula, J., & Gallo-Estrada, J. (2020). Impact of nurse-patient relationship on quality of care and patient autonomy in decision-making. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(3), 835. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030835

Varkey, B. (2021). Principles of Clinical Ethics and Their Application to Practice. Medical Principles and Practice, 30(1), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.1159/000509119