How should a nurse respond when a patient refuses treatment?

• A. Respect the patient's decision, provide necessary information, document the refusal, assess safety, and follow organizational policies.
• B. Coerce the patient to accept treatment.
• C. Ignore the refusal and proceed with treatment anyway.
• D. Terminate care immediately.

Answer: (A)

Respecting the patient’s autonomy is fundamental: a competent patient has the right to refuse treatment after being informed about the consequences. The nurse should ensure the patient understands what refusing means, including risks, benefits, and any alternatives, and then support the patient’s decision. A key step is assessing decision-making capacity—can the patient understand the information, appreciate the consequences, reason about options, and communicate a choice? If capacity is intact, honor the decision, provide ongoing support, and document the refusal clearly, noting what information was given, the patient’s decision, and the capacity assessment. Also implement any safety measures required by policy to monitor and protect the patient while respecting their choice. Follow organizational policies and Florida law to ensure rights are respected and care remains appropriate. If the patient lacks capacity or is at imminent risk, involve the appropriate surrogate or clinician and proceed per legal and institutional guidelines, rather than coercing, ignoring, or terminating care without justification.