By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    grief
    Coping With Depression from Loss After a Preventable Accident
    November 14, 2024
    medical research
    The Key to Medical Progress in Clinical Trials
    March 13, 2025
    HIPPA compliance
    How Medical Office Staff Can Make Your Practice HIPAA Compliant
    October 29, 2021
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Image
    Emergency Room – Don’t Use It For Primary Care!
    March 19, 2013
    Encouraging Medicare News From Senate Republicans
    March 17, 2012
    chronic disease
    Lifestyles Cause Most Serious Disease and Deaths
    May 25, 2013
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Informed Consent: The Right to Refuse Medical Treatment
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Diagnostics > Informed Consent: The Right to Refuse Medical Treatment
Diagnostics

Informed Consent: The Right to Refuse Medical Treatment

Michael Kirsch
Michael Kirsch
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

There are some patients we doctors never forget. They linger in our memories for various reasons. Often, it is their serious or unusual medical condition that stays with us.

There are some patients we doctors never forget. They linger in our memories for various reasons. Often, it is their serious or unusual medical condition that stays with us. On other occasions, it is a zany or unique personality that we recall, even years later. Rarely, when the doctor-patient relationship becomes injured, then the patient may become unforgettable.

I remember a particular patient from 20 years ago for a very different reason. I recall him clearly because he rejected my medical advice to him with aplomb. Although I haven’t seen him for two decades, I will never forget him. He taught me a lesson, which is not surprising since patients are our best teachers. There are no CME credits for these lessons, but I’ve learned more from them than I have at many medical conferences or from medical journals.

It was July 1991, a month after I completed my fellowship in gastroenterology. I had jointed a multispecialty group, and I was the only gastroenterologist in this particular site of the clinic. There was no senior gastroenterologist to supervise me. What a comfort it was during fellowship training to have seasoned clinicians nod affirmatively to my diagnostic plan, or point out what I overlooked. To this day, I wish I had one of these master clinicians sitting quietly in the back corner of my exam rooms to mentor me. In July 1991, I was now responsible for my own advice. Despite excellent training, I was anxious that it was my finger on the trigger.

More Read

Patient-Centered Approach to Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Planning (podcast)
How Rapid Blood Testing Solves Blood Lab Wait Time Issues
When Culture Trumps Knowledge: Breaking Habits Takes More than New Research
The Traditional Patient “Sick Role” Is A Major Barrier To High Quality Health Care
The 10 Commandments of Patient Engagement

I performed a screening colonoscopy on this man and discovered a large, flat lesion in the upper part of the large intestine. A biopsy indicated that this was a pre-cancerous polyp, although it was possible that there was cancer present that was not sampled by my biopsy instrument. (Biopsies only obtain tiny pieces of tissue, which may not be representative of the entire lesion. Physicians call this phenomenon sampling error.)

This concerning lesion could not be removed with the scope, so I recommended that he consult with a surgeon to discuss an operation. He listened and calmly declined my advice. More accurately, he offered a conditional decline. He stated that he would see the surgeon, but not until 4 months had passed. This was unexpected as most patients want their surgeries to occur yesterday. The patient made clear that there was no earthly force that would alter his decision. This mystery entered the theater of the absurd when I learned his reason for the delay. Here are some choices. Take your best guess.

  • He and his family were about to leave on a 4 month cruise.
  • November was his lucky month and he wanted surgery then.
  • It was golf season, which was sacred.
  • His medical insurance coverage would become active November 1st.
  • He intended to travel to Mexico for alternative medical care.

I surmise that most readers did not select the correct answer. This man was a golf fanatic, and even the possibility that he harbored a colon cancer, would not coax him off the fairways. Interesting priorities. We physicians need to remind ourselves that patients make the decisions, even though we often believe that we have the right answers.

The denouement? Months later, he underwent surgery and a large benign lesion was removed. I think I was more relieved than he was.
If this guy’s appendix or gallbladder were to go bad, I hope it happens during wintertime. Surgery can occur in any season. But, golf…

TAGGED:colonoscopydoctor/patient relationship
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

PatientsLikeMe: New Way to Get Healthcare Support

April 16, 2013
unnecessary medical tests
DiagnosticsHospital AdministrationPolicy & Law

Eagerly Awaiting the Death of Defensive Medicine

September 5, 2013

Pilot Program – Remote Vital Reporting Devices

March 21, 2011
Thumb Up X-ray photo
Diagnostics

Top Five Blogs of 2015 on Image Capture Devices from Everything Rad

January 4, 2016
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?