Tom's story: a quadriplegic who refused rehabilitation.

Full Abstract

A C3 quadriplegic was admitted to our unit, and the whole team went into action to set up a full program of rehabilitation. But the patient decided that he preferred to die. This case raised important ethical questions about patient autonomy and the right to refuse treatment versus medical paternalism, by which the healthcare provider makes decisions on the patient's behalf. This article discusses the ethical principles involved and draws comparisons with other cases cited in the literature. "Tom" is a pseudonym, used to protect the patient's identity. Two Ethical Perspectives follow the article.

Author information

Author/s: Ridley, B (B);

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Case Reports; Journal Article

Journal: Rehabilitation nursing : the official journal of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (Rehabil Nurs), published in UNITED STATES. (Language: eng)

Reference: -1989 Sep-Oct; vol 14 (issue 5) : pp 250-3

Dates: Created 1989/10/19; Completed 1989/10/19; Revised 2004/11/17;

PMID: 2781127, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Rehabil Nurs. 1989 Sep-Oct;14(5):254-5. (PMID: 2781128)

CommentIn: Rehabil Nurs. 1989 Sep-Oct;14(5):255-6, 268. (PMID: 2818745)

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