Understanding Termination/Refusal To Provide Care Policies

Termination/Refusal of Care Name Institution Affiliation Termination/Refusal of Care All licensed healthcare givers such as doctors, physicians and nurses are ethically and professionally bound to attend to all patients who seek treatment or are in dire need of medical attention regardless of their condition and what ails them. They have to address to all patient needs that are within their scope and levels of expertise (Hopkins, 1994). However, there are cases where a healthcare facility and or the healthcare practitioners refuse to provide care to patients as it goes against the hospitals policies or the doctors conscience. For example, many hospitals refuse to attend to patients who request to have abortions because it’s an offence under the US laws. Also, a physician may refuse to attend to an abortion patient because it is against his conscience and beliefs. In addition, there are also cases where the doctor-patient relationship is terminated. For example, a doctor may terminate his relationship with a patient who constantly refuses to follow his instructions and advise such as one who refuses to take medication. The paper shall examine the various policies and procedures that warrant refusal and termination of care at Boston Medical Centre. Understanding refusal to provide care policies All patients are entitled to receive treatment despite how risky that may be to the care giver and federal laws such EMTALA were enacted to emphasize and enforce such matters. Since the breakout of HIV/AIDS in the nineteen eighties doctors have been reluctant to attend to patients for fear of getting infected. However, the American Medical Association (AMA) declared that “A physician may not ethically refuse to treat a patient whose condition is within the physician’s current realm of competence solely because the patient is seropositive for HIV” (Hopkins, 1994). The same sentiments have been echoed by other bodies such as the American Dental Association. Policies that govern refusal to provide care at Boston Medical Centre T...