How can healthcare providers deal with circumstances where a patient’s choice may result in harm…

➤ How do you assess whether a patient has the capacity to refuse treatment?
Assess capacity with a structured approach: confirm the person can understand relevant information, appreciate consequences, reason about options, and communicate a choice. Use plain language, ask the patient to restate information, screen for delirium or intoxication, and request a formal capacity evaluation when judgment is unclear. Record findings in the medical chart.