When patient autonomy gets in the way

“Why didn’t you see that patient?”

TongRo Images/Thinkstock

The hospitalist on the phone was angry. He’d wanted the patient seen by neurology and cleared for discharge. Apparently, I hadn’t complied.

Actually, that isn’t true. I was on call, so I had dutifully dragged myself in (with the help of some coffee), reviewed the chart, and gone in to see the fellow.

The patient, however, had other ideas. He said he was sick of doctors, didn’t like them, didn’t want to see me, and asked me to leave. So I did.

This threw off the hospitalist’s well-choreographed day of admissions and discharges. Without me seeing the patient, he had to either discharge him on his own decision or find another neurologist who would do it.

Sorry, but I’m not going to force this issue. If a patient doesn’t want to see me, it’s not worth fighting over. Believe me, I get paid to see patients, so I don’t have much incentive to just walk away.

But at the same time I have to respect patients’ decisions. While a neurology consult is pretty noninvasive, it’s still a part of medicine. If a patient doesn’t want to see me, I’m not going to force them to.

Granted, there are exceptions. Obviously, if the patient is fairly demented or otherwise not mentally competent to make such a decision, I’ll see them. In those cases, their deteriorating mental status is likely the reason for the consult.

But the fellow that day seemed alert and reasonable, and there was nothing in the chart about confusion. So I’m going to assume he knew what he was doing when he told me to go away.

The hospitalist didn’t see this as an issue, but I did. Doing a consult on a patient who doesn’t want one seems, at least to me, like harassment. I’m sorry if it messes up the discharge planning, but that’s not my fault. It’s the patient’s decision.

While I may disagree at times with patients’ decisions, their autonomy is still central to medicine. I respect and believe in that, even if it makes things more difficult for those around them.

Dr. Block has a solo neurology practice in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“Why didn’t you see that patient?”

TongRo Images/Thinkstock

The hospitalist on the phone was angry. He’d wanted the patient seen by neurology and cleared for discharge. Apparently, I hadn’t complied.

Actually, that isn’t true. I was on call, so I had dutifully dragged myself in (with the help of some coffee), reviewed the chart, and gone in to see the fellow.

The patient, however, had other ideas. He said he was sick of doctors, didn’t like them, didn’t want to see me, and asked me to leave. So I did.

This threw off the hospitalist’s well-choreographed day of admissions and discharges. Without me seeing the patient, he had to either discharge him on his own decision or find another neurologist who would do it.

Sorry, but I’m not going to force this issue. If a patient doesn’t want to see me, it’s not worth fighting over. Believe me, I get paid to see patients, so I don’t have much incentive to just walk away.

But at the same time I have to respect patients’ decisions. While a neurology consult is pretty noninvasive, it’s still a part of medicine. If a patient doesn’t want to see me, I’m not going to force them to.

Granted, there are exceptions. Obviously, if the patient is fairly demented or otherwise not mentally competent to make such a decision, I’ll see them. In those cases, their deteriorating mental status is likely the reason for the consult.

But the fellow that day seemed alert and reasonable, and there was nothing in the chart about confusion. So I’m going to assume he knew what he was doing when he told me to go away.

The hospitalist didn’t see this as an issue, but I did. Doing a consult on a patient who doesn’t want one seems, at least to me, like harassment. I’m sorry if it messes up the discharge planning, but that’s not my fault. It’s the patient’s decision.

While I may disagree at times with patients’ decisions, their autonomy is still central to medicine. I respect and believe in that, even if it makes things more difficult for those around them.

Dr. Block has a solo neurology practice in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“Why didn’t you see that patient?”

TongRo Images/Thinkstock

The hospitalist on the phone was angry. He’d wanted the patient seen by neurology and cleared for discharge. Apparently, I hadn’t complied.

Actually, that isn’t true. I was on call, so I had dutifully dragged myself in (with the help of some coffee), reviewed the chart, and gone in to see the fellow.

The patient, however, had other ideas. He said he was sick of doctors, didn’t like them, didn’t want to see me, and asked me to leave. So I did.

This threw off the hospitalist’s well-choreographed day of admissions and discharges. Without me seeing the patient, he had to either discharge him on his own decision or find another neurologist who would do it.

Sorry, but I’m not going to force this issue. If a patient doesn’t want to see me, it’s not worth fighting over. Believe me, I get paid to see patients, so I don’t have much incentive to just walk away.

But at the same time I have to respect patients’ decisions. While a neurology consult is pretty noninvasive, it’s still a part of medicine. If a patient doesn’t want to see me, I’m not going to force them to.

Granted, there are exceptions. Obviously, if the patient is fairly demented or otherwise not mentally competent to make such a decision, I’ll see them. In those cases, their deteriorating mental status is likely the reason for the consult.

But the fellow that day seemed alert and reasonable, and there was nothing in the chart about confusion. So I’m going to assume he knew what he was doing when he told me to go away.

The hospitalist didn’t see this as an issue, but I did. Doing a consult on a patient who doesn’t want one seems, at least to me, like harassment. I’m sorry if it messes up the discharge planning, but that’s not my fault. It’s the patient’s decision.

While I may disagree at times with patients’ decisions, their autonomy is still central to medicine. I respect and believe in that, even if it makes things more difficult for those around them.

Dr. Block has a solo neurology practice in Scottsdale, Ariz.