Respecting a patient’s right to refuse treatment demonstrates which principle?

Respecting a patient’s right to refuse treatment demonstrates which principle?

• A. Beneficence
• B. Non-malfeasance
• C. Autonomy
• D. Justice

Answer: (C)

Respect for autonomy means honoring a competent patient’s right to make their own decisions about care, including the choice to refuse treatment. In practice, you assess whether the patient has decision-making capacity: can they understand the information, appreciate the consequences, reason about options, and communicate a choice? If they are capable, their refusal must be respected, even if you believe treatment would be beneficial for them. If the patient lacks capacity, decisions should be guided by best interests or a legally authorized surrogate, or by advance directives, rather than personal or family wishes alone. In emergencies, implied consent may apply when the patient cannot refuse and no surrogate is available, to provide life-saving care. Beneficence is about acting for the patient’s best interests, which can conflict with a patient’s wishes, so it doesn’t specifically describe honoring a patient’s right to refuse. Non-maleficence is about avoiding harm, which can support respecting decisions in some contexts but is not the primary principle at issue. Justice concerns fairness and distribution of resources, not the individual right to choose.

Respect for autonomy means honoring a competent patient’s right to make their own decisions about care, including the choice to refuse treatment. In practice, you assess whether the patient has decision-making capacity: can they understand the information, appreciate the consequences, reason about options, and communicate a choice? If they are capable, their refusal must be respected, even if you believe treatment would be beneficial for them. If the patient lacks capacity, decisions should be guided by best interests or a legally authorized surrogate, or by advance directives, rather than personal or family wishes alone. In emergencies, implied consent may apply when the patient cannot refuse and no surrogate is available, to provide life-saving care.

Beneficence is about acting for the patient’s best interests, which can conflict with a patient’s wishes, so it doesn’t specifically describe honoring a patient’s right to refuse. Non-maleficence is about avoiding harm, which can support respecting decisions in some contexts but is not the primary principle at issue. Justice concerns fairness and distribution of resources, not the individual right to choose.