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Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is described as a global health crisis. Hemodialysis (HD) is a treatment that helps CKD patients prolong their lives. However, not all patients accept HD. To date, there is limited understanding of the factors for this resistance, especially in developing countries. This Phenomenological study employed individual telephone interviews with 35 CKD patients. The interview questions were related to the refusal factors of HD. Thematic analysis revealed six themes-concerns about becoming a burden to others, cost, age considerations, advice from others, fear regarding HD treatment, and self-healing plans. This study is vital to support medical social workers in strategizing early interventions to improve hemodialysis acceptance among CKD patients. The ability of medical social workers to understand these factors and tailor appropriate interventions will help improve the treatment acceptance and outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Introduction: Efforts to improve oxygen access have focused mainly on the supply side, but it is important to understand demand barriers, such as oxygen refusal among caregivers. We therefore aimed to understand caregiver, community and healthcare provider (HCP) perspectives and experiences of medical oxygen treatments and how these shape oxygen acceptance among caregivers of sick children in Lagos and Jigawa states, which are two contrasting settings in Nigeria., Methods: Between April 2022 and January 2023, we conducted an exploratory qualitative study using reflexive thematic analysis, involving semistructured interviews with caregivers (Jigawa=18 and Lagos=7), HCPs (Jigawa=7 and Lagos=6) and community group discussions (Jigawa=4 and Lagos=5). We used an inductive-deductive approach to identify codes and themes through an iterative process using the theoretical framework of acceptability and the normalisation process theory as the analytic lens., Results: Medical oxygen prescription was associated with tension, characterised by fear of death, hopelessness about a child's survival and financial distress. These were driven by community narratives around oxygen, past negative experiences and contextual differences between both settings. Caregiver acceptance of medical oxygen was a sense-making process from apprehension and scepticism about their child's survival chances to positioning prescribed oxygen as an 'appropriate' or 'needed' intervention. Achieving this transition occurred through various means, such as trust in HCPs, a perceived sense of urgency for care, previous positive experience of oxygen use and a symbolic perception of oxygen as a technology. Misconceptions and pervasive negative narratives were acknowledged in Jigawa, while in Lagos, the cost was a major reason for oxygen refusal., Conclusion: Non-acceptance of medical oxygen treatment for sick children is modifiable in the Nigerian context, with the root causes of refusal being contextually specific. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all policy is unlikely to work. Financial constraints and community attitudes should be addressed in addition to improving client-provider interactions., Competing Interests: Competing interests: SA, TA, CC and PV are employed by Save the Children UK who are part of the partnership funding the research. TFO, MM are employees of GSK, a multinational for-profit pharmaceutical company that produces pharmaceutical products for childhood pneumonia, including a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, and no direct financial interests in oxygen or pulse oximeter products. AAB, HRG and AGF are principal officers of Oxygen for Life Initiative, a not-for-profit organization in Nigeria with focus on medical oxygen system in health facilities., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Partnering with patients who reject our recommended treatment: how to understand what our patients are going through.

Consensual homicide remains a crime in jurisdictions where active voluntary euthanasia has been legalized. At the same time, both jurisdictions, in which euthanasia is legal and those in which it is not, recognize that all patients (whether severely ill or not) have the right to refuse or withdraw medical treatment (including life-saving treatment). In this paper, I focus on the tensions between these three norms (the permission of active euthanasia, the permission to reject life-saving treatment, and the prohibition of consensual homicide), assuming a justification of euthanasia based on the right to (personal) autonomy. I argue that the best way to provide a coherent account of these norms is to claim that patients have two distinct rights: the right to autonomy and the right to bodily integrity. This solution has some relevant implications for the discussion of the legalization of active euthanasia., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Physicians generally recommend that patients resuscitated with naloxone after opioid overdose stay in the emergency department for a period of observation in order to prevent harm from delayed sequelae of opioid toxicity. Patients frequently refuse this period of observation despiteenefit to risk. Healthcare providers are thus confronted with the challenge of how best to protect the patient's interests while also respecting autonomy, including assessing whether the patient is making an autonomous choice to refuse care. Previous studies have shown that physicians have widely divergent approaches to navigating these conflicts. This paper reviews what is known about the effects of opioid use disorder on decision-making, and argues that some subset of these refusals are non-autonomous choices, even when patients appear to have decision making capacity. This conclusion has several implications for how physicians assess and respond to patients refusing medical recommendations after naloxone resuscitation.

ABSTRACT Objective: To identify the most effective form of contact, as a possible intervention to reduce absenteeism in consultations of children with suspected or confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: A randomized clinical trial was conducted with prospective data collection, between March 2017 and February 2018. Patients were randomized into three groups to be reminded about the appointment: telephone contact, SMS or WhatsApp, or no intervention. A convenience sample was obtained, with a significance level of 5%. Results: 78 children were included, with a median age of four years old (zero to 14); 59.0% of them were in treatment for a latent infection and 6.4% had active tuberculosis. Among the 78 children, 74.4% lived in Curitiba (Sourhern Brazil); 62.8% lived with both parents; 38.5% of the parents had formal employment and 47.4% of the mothers were housewives; 50.8% of the fathers and 55.7% of the mothers had more than nine years of schooling. In 78.2% of the families, per capita income was up to 0.5 minimum wages; 27.3% were enrolled in social programs; 28.2% lived in homes provided by the government. There was a total of 238 interventions made: 85 (35.7%) by telephone contact, 78 (32.8%) by text message (WhatsApp was 97.2% of these) and 75 (31.5%) had no further contact. There was no statistical difference among the sociodemographic and cultural characteristics studied. The absenteeism rate was 24.0% and the abandonment rate was 16.7%. Giving a reminder to the patient’s guardian prior to the consultation, regardless of the intervention (p=0.021) and specifically by WhatsApp message (p=0.032) was associated with no absenteeism, though it was not associated with abandonment of the treatment. Conclusions: Using new tools, such as WhatsApp, to remind guardians of appointments reduces absenteeism. Consequently, it may lead to a reduction in abandoning treatment and it may improvetreatment outcome of children with a tuberculosis infection or disease.

The purpose of the research: to study the content of the principle of patient autonomy, the problem of its legal regulation in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine, outline the ways of their solution. Materials and methods: the regulatory and legal framework of Ukraine, the method of analysis, the method of synthesis, the comparative legal method. Results: The normative legal acts of Ukraine, in particular the Law of Ukraine “Fundamentals of Ukrainian legislation on health care”, the Civil Code of Ukraine, enshrined the principle of patient autonomy. However, a number of norms are conflict-related, so they need legal improvement. Conclusions: The structure of the patient's autonomy principle includes the concept of informed consent and such basic rights of the patient as the right to choose a doctor, methods of treatment, and health facilities. At present, legislation that regulates the issue of consent of patients between 14 and 18 years of age, the refusal of medical intervention, the provision of complete information on the patient's health status, the right to choose a doctor and a health care institution, requires more precise changes, requires more precise regulation of the consent of the parents (or one from the parents) of the child to medical intervention.

Background: The standard therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is nighttime positive airway pressure (PAP). Generally, it has few side effects and represents a long-term treatment. However, not every patient is able to tolerate or accept the therapy or is willing to comply long-term. Other patients even have to terminate treatment for objective reasons. Objectives: There are no clear terms defined yet in clinical guidelines for the noncompliance of PAP therapy. The aim of our article is to introduce standardized definitions that may be used as a reference for clinical practice and scientific approaches. Materials and Methods: A board of experts has extensively studied the literature, definitions and background information regarding the topic. They considered different types of noncompliance or termination of PAP treatment and thus formed categories and definitions. Results: These are the categories of PAP noncompliance as proposed by the board of experts: PAP non-acceptance, PAP incompatibility, PAP intolerance, PAP failure, and PAP discontinuance. Conclusion: These categories, including definitions, may serve as a foundation for standardized management of OSA patients that need to be prepared for PAP therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unrepresented patients are individuals who lack decision makingcapacity and have no family or friends to make medical decisions for them. This population is growing in number in the United States, particularly within emergency and intensive care settings. While some bioethical discussion has taken place in response to the question of who ought to make decisions for these patients, the issue of how surrogate medical decisions ought to be made for this population remains unexplored. In this paper, we argue that standard applications of surrogate decision making principles in health care are not well suited to many unrepresented patients with long-term mental health diagnosis. We argue that when applied to this population, the substituted judgment standard, designed to preserve patient preferences and values, may lead to the exclusion of their preferences. We argue further that the application of the best interest standard runs the risk of leading to harmful cases of overtreatment or undertreatment. We offer an alternative interpretation of the best interest principle that is better able to promote the well-being of unrepresented patients, especially for those who lack capacity because of mental disorders. This alternative is based on the practices and principles of harm reduction and includes three components: emphasis on considering the expressed preferences of unrepresented patients, a focus on reducing harm as well as the delivery of clinical benefits, and a recognition of the importance of promoting trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose: To explore the nature of psychological resistance to the initiation of antihypertensive medication. Methods: Participants were 13 adults with hypertension who were refusing or had refused to take antihypertensive drugs from July 2016 to October 2016. The data were collected through face-to-face in-depth interviews, and analyzed according to Braun and Clarke's 6 steps of thematic analysis. Results: Analysis of the psychological resistance experience to drug therapy in hypertensive patients resulted in 5 themes and 10 sub-themes from a total of 42 free codes. Participants were "holding out as much as possible without medication" without taking antihypertensive drugs due to "psychological opposition to starting treatment" and "situational barriers related to medication". However, they were "coming to grips with reality" that they were not taking medication but would take it someday, and they gained "momentum for change" to start taking it. Conclusion: The 5 themes derived from the data analysis of the experiences of 13 participants are interrelated and suggest the direction of intervention to lower psychological resistance. In particular, we propose the development of an intervention to assist patients in self-decision regarding taking antihypertensive medication. Additional research into the role of medical staff in lowering the psychological resistance of young hypertensive patients is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an analysis of the limits of family authority to refuse life saving treatment for a family member (in the Chinese medical context). Family consent has long been praised and practiced in many non‐Western cultural settings such as China and Japan. In contrast, the controversy of family refusal remains less examined despite its prevalence in low‐income and middle‐income countries. In this paper, we investigate family refusal in medical emergencies through a combination of legal, empirical and ethical approaches, which is highly relevant to the ongoing discussion about the place of informed consent in non‐Western cultures. We first provide an overview of the Chinese legislation concerning informed consent to show the significance of family values in the context of medical decision‐making and demonstrate the lack of legal support to override family refusal. Next, we present the findings of a vignette question that investigated how 11,771 medical professionals and 2,944 patients in China responded to the family refusal of emergency treatment for an unconscious patient. In our analysis of these results, we employ ethical reasoning to question the legitimacy of family refusal of life‐sustaining emergency treatment for temporarily incompetent patients. Last, we examine some practical obstacles encountered by medical professionals wishing to override family refusal to give context to the discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaccine-related diseases are increasing in developing countries. This study aimed to explore parents' reasons for refusal of childhood vaccinations in Malaysia and their recommendations on addressing their concerns. A qualitative study design involving individual both face-to-face and online in-depth interview was used. The topic guide was developed from the Health Belief Model theoretical framework. Seven face-to-face and seven online interviews were conducted with parents in the Klang Valley (an urban area) who had refused childhood vaccination. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and checked. Thematic approach was used to analyze the data. Data was collected until data saturation was reached. Findings were summarized into two main categories: Personal Health Beliefs and Vaccine Related Concerns. Six personal health beliefs were identified: lack of confidence in modern medicine and health care personnel, pharmaceutical conspiracy to sell medicines, preference to a natural approach to health, personal instincts, religious beliefs and having a partner with similar beliefs. Four main vaccine-related concerns were identified: negative effects and content concerns, doubts of necessity and lack of information and knowledge regarding vaccines. Parents recommended that more empathy from healthcare professionals and evidence on safety and content purity would help them reconsider vaccination. Parents had multiple reasons for refusing childhood vaccinations but felt that communication and empathy from healthcare professionals was lacking. Besides individual consultations with parents, addressing these concerns at multiple levels in the health care system and society may help to increase the uptake of childhood vaccinations in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been ten years since the case of Hannah Jones—the 12-year-old girl who was permitted to refuse a potentially life-saving heart transplant. In the past decade, there has been some progress within law and policy in respect of children's participatory rights (UNCRC—Article 12), and a greater understanding of family-centred decision-making. However, the courts still largely maintain their traditional reluctance to find children Gillick competent to refuse medical treatment. In this article, I revisit Hannah's case through the narrative account provided by Hannah and her mother, to ascertain what lessons can be learnt. I use an Ethics of Care framework specially developed for children in mid-childhood, such as Hannah, to argue for more a creative and holistic approach to child decision-making in healthcare. I conclude that using traditional paradigms is untenable in the context of palliative care and at the end of life, and that the law should be able to accommodate greater, and even determinative, participation of children who are facing their own deaths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify the most effective form of contact, as a possible intervention to reduce absenteeism in consultations of children with suspected or confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: A randomized clinical trial was conducted with prospective data collection, between March 2017 and February 2018. Patients were randomized into three groups to be reminded about the appointment: telephone contact, SMS or WhatsApp, or no intervention. A convenience sample was obtained, with a significance level of 5%. Results: 78 children were included, with a median age of four years old (zero to 14); 59.0% of them were in treatment for a latent infection and 6.4% had active tuberculosis. Among the 78 children, 74.4% lived in Curitiba (Sourhern Brazil); 62.8% lived with both parents; 38.5% of the parents had formal employment and 47.4% of the mothers were housewives; 50.8% of the fathers and 55.7% of the mothers had more than nine years of schooling. In 78.2% of the families, per capita income was up to 0.5 minimum wages; 27.3% were enrolled in social programs; 28.2% lived in homes provided by the government. There was a total of 238 interventions made: 85 (35.7%) by telephone contact, 78 (32.8%) by text message (WhatsApp was 97.2% of these) and 75 (31.5%) had no further contact. There was no statistical difference among the sociodemographic and cultural characteristics studied. The absenteeism rate was 24.0% and the abandonment rate was 16.7%. Giving a reminder to the patient's guardian prior to the consultation, regardless of the intervention (p=0.021) and specifically by WhatsApp message (p=0.032) was associated with no absenteeism, though it was not associated with abandonment of the treatment. Conclusions: Using new tools, such as WhatsApp, to remind guardians of appointments reduces absenteeism. Consequently, it may lead to a reduction in abandoning treatment and it may improvetreatment outcome of children with a tuberculosis infection or disease [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the national rate of treatment refusal in head and neck cancer (HNC). Methods: The National Cancer Database was queried for nonmetastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Oncologic therapy referred to receipt of surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy. Results: Compared to the 230 424 patients who received treatment, 2965 (1.3%) were reported to have refused definitive therapy. Predictors included older age, female sex, African‐American/other race, nonprivate insurance, greater comorbidities, more advanced disease, and residence closer to the treating facility (P <.05). Patients with a prior history of cancer, Hispanic race, those treated at academic centers, and those from higher income counties were less likely to refuse therapy (P <.05). Patients who refused definitive therapy experienced poorer survival (median 79.1 vs 8.7 months, P <.001). Conclusions: Refusing oncologic therapy is relatively rare in HNC and appears to be multifocal in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundDespite the availability of effective hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia therapies, target levels of systolic blood pressure (SBP), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-c), and hemoglobin A1c control are often not achieved.ObjectiveTo examine the relative importance of patient medication nonadherence versus clinician lack of therapy intensification in explaining above target cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor levels.DesignCross-sectional assessment.ParticipantsIn 2005, 161,697 Kaiser Permanente Northern California adult diabetes patients were included in the study.Measurement"Above target" was defined as most recent A1c >/=7.0% for hyperglycemia, LDL-c >/=100 mg/dL for hyperlipidemia, and SBP >/=130 mmHg for hypertension. Poor adherence was defined as medication gaps for >/=20% of days covered for all medications for each condition separately. Treatment intensification was defined as an increase in the number of drug classes, increased dosage of a class, or a switch to a different class within the 3 months before or after notation of above target levels.ResultsPoor adherence was found in 20-23% of patients across the 3 conditions. No evidence of poor adherence with no treatment intensification was found in 30% of hyperglycemia patients, 47% of hyperlipidemia patients, and 36% of hypertension patients. Poor adherence or lack of therapy intensification was evident in 53-68% of patients above target levels across conditions.ConclusionsBoth nonadherence and lack of treatment intensification occur frequently in patients above target for CVD risk factor levels; however, lack of therapy intensification was somewhat more common. Quality improvement efforts should focus on these modifiable barriers to CVD risk factor control.

PurposeWatchful waiting (WW) is one option for men with clinically localized prostate cancer. We examined temporal trends in the use of WW, as well as sociodemographic and clinical profiles of men who choose this form of management.Materials and methodsThe Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor is a national registry of patients with various stages of prostate cancer. Between 1989 and 2000, 5,365 men in the database were diagnosed with localized disease and elected either WW or active treatment within 9 months of diagnosis. Of these men 402 elected WW as initial disease management. We analyzed time trends in WW use, and sociodemographic and clinical predictors of WW using chi-square tests and multivariate logistical regression.ResultsIn examining 3-year intervals, use of WW increased from 7.5% in 1989 to 1991 to 9.5% in 1992 to 1994, and then decreased during the next 6 years to 5.5% in 1998 to 2000 (p = 0.001). With time there was a significant increase in the proportion of WW patients with T1 disease and prostate specific antigen of 10 ng/ml or less. Compared to patients choosing active treatment, patients opting for WW were more likely to have low risk disease. After controlling for clinical factors WW patients were also more likely to be 75 years old or older, to have Medicare insurance and to have greater comorbidity.ConclusionsDuring the prostate specific antigen era rates of WW for the initial treatment of prostate cancer have been decreasing despite considerable downward stage migration. We expect that as prostate cancer risk assessment and surveillance strategies continue to improve, more patients may benefit from this approach to management.

Carlos De las Cuevas,1 Jose de Leon,2–4 Wenceslao Peñate,5 Moisés Betancort5 1Departamento de Medicina Interna, Dermatología y Psiquiatría, Universidad de La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain; 2Mental Health Research Center at Eastern State Hospital, Lexington, KY, USA; 3Psychiatry and Neurosciences Research Group (CTS-549), Institute of Neurosciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; 4Biomedical Research Center in Mental Health Net (CIBERSAM), Santiago Apostol Hospital, University of the Basque Country, Vitoria, Spain; 5Departamento de Psicología Clínica, Psicobiología y Metodología, Universidad de La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain Purpose: To evaluate pathways through which sociodemographic, clinical, attitudinal, and perceived health control variables impact psychiatric patients’ adherence to psychopharmacological medications.Method: A sample of 966 consecutive psychiatric outpatients was studied. The variables were sociodemographic (age, gender, and education), clinical (diagnoses, drug treatment, and treatment duration), attitudinal (attitudes toward psychopharmacological medication and preferences regarding participation in decision-making), perception of control over health (health locus of control, self-efficacy, and psychological reactance), and level of adherence to psychopharmacological medications. Structural equation modeling was applied to examine the nonstraightforward relationships and the interactive effects among the analyzed variables.Results: Structural equation modeling demonstrated that psychiatric patients’ treatment adherence was associated: 1) negatively with cognitive psychological reactance (adherence decreased as cognitive psychological reactance increased), 2) positively with patients’ trust in their psychiatrists (doctors’ subscale), 3) negatively with patients’ belief that they are in control of their mental health and that their mental health depends on their own actions (internal subscale), and 4) positively (although weakly) with age. Self-efficacy indirectly influenced treatment adherence through internal health locus of control.Conclusion: This study provides support for the hypothesis that perceived health control variables play a relevant role in psychiatric patients’ adherence to psychopharmacological medications. The findings highlight the importance of considering prospective studies of patients’ psychological reactance and health locus of control as they may be clinically relevant factors contributing to adherence to psychopharmacological medications. Keywords: attitude to health, medication adherence, health behavior, internal-external control, model, statistical, psychiatry

Objective: Leaving Against Medical Advice (LAMA) is a prevalent issue in healthcare settings that may lead to negative patient outcomes. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the impact of LAMA on patient outcomes., Materials and Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed across PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus. Studies reporting adverse outcomes, including mortality and hospital readmission rates, in patients who underwent LAMA were included. The odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using a random-effects model., Results: Eight studies were included in the review, with four contributing to the meta-analysis on 1-year mortality and five to the meta-analysis on hospital readmission rates. LAMA was not significantly associated with higher 1-year mortality [OR = 0.66, 95% CI (0.38, 1.16), p = 0.15] or hospital readmission rates [OR = 0.61, 95% CI (0.30, 1.23), p = 0.16] across the studies. However, there was substantial heterogeneity in the results (I2 = 91% for mortality; I2 = 99% for readmissions)., Conclusions: While individual studies reported varying outcomes, the pooled results did not show a significant association between LAMA and increased 1-year mortality or hospital readmission rates. However, the high degree of heterogeneity suggests the influence of diverse patient populations, healthcare settings, and study methodologies on these outcomes. Further research is needed to better understand the factors contributing to the adverse outcomes associated with LAMA and to develop targeted interventions to mitigate them.

Background: The treatment of addicted offenders detained under § 64 of the German Criminal Code can be terminated prematurely. There is an extensive literature on predictors of such premature termination concerned with factors established before treatment., Objective: The aim of this paper is to present predictors of premature termination that become apparent during the course of therapy., Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search and included 16 publications., Results: Patients and therapists rated impulsivity/aggressiveness, substance use relapses and a lack of patient-therapist relationship as negative predictors. Both groups assessed as beneficial the presence of motivation and a positive social network., Conclusion: To prevent early treatment termination a positive patient-therapist relationship, motivation and working through incidents during therapy is essential., Competing Interests: Die Autorinnen/Autoren geben an, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Radiation therapy (RT) refusal is known to have deleterious effects on survival for multiple cancer types. Factors associated with RT refusal by patients with gynecologic malignancies have not been well described. This study aimed to examine factors associated with and the survival impact of documented RT refusal among patients with gynecologic cancers., Methods and Materials: This study analyzed data from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) of patients with gynecologic cancers diagnosed between 2004 and 2020. Patients were included if they had complete survival data and a documented RT recommendation by their treating physician in the NCDB. Patients coded as received RT were compared with those coded as refused RT in the NCDB using a multivariate log binomial regression with robust variance to yield incidence rate ratios (IRR). Overall survival was analyzed using a multivariate (MV) Cox proportional hazards model to yield hazard ratios., Results: This study identified 209,976 patients. A total of 5.75% (n = 12,081) patients were coded as refusing RT. Multivariable IRR showed that documentation of RT refusal was positively associated with older age (MV IRR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.041-1.045), Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander race (1.72 [1.27-2.32]), and increased morbidity (score = 1: 1.06 [1.02-1.11]; score = 2: 1.20 [1.12-1.29]; score ≥3: 1.26 [1.14-1.38]). Negative associations were seen with Hispanic ethnicity (0.74 [0.67-0.80]), having insurance (0.58 [0.53-0.63]), and annual income >$74,063 (0.85 [0.81-0.90]). During the 16-year period, a statistically significant test for trend (P = .001) for increasing RT refusal was noted. RT refusal was associated with a significantly higher risk of death (MV hazard ratio, 1.59 [1.55-1.63])., Conclusions: For patients with gynecologic malignancies diagnosed from 2004 to 2020, an increase in documented RT refusal is associated with decreased overall survival in all disease types. Targeted interventions aimed at mitigating potential sociodemographic barriers to receipt of RT are warranted., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Our team was confronted with a situation of stubborn refusal of care, including the indication of a cesarean section for an adult patient able to express her wishes. This refusal was formulated during pregnancy follow-up, during the discussion of the birth plan and during delivery, the patient having accepted the indication of a possible emergency cesarean section under general anesthesia only in the occurrence of severe fetal heart rate abnormalities. The impasse forced caregivers to violate the rules of good clinical practice, which indicated the performance of a cesarean section, and to wait for a complication to arise in order to be able to act, taking the risk of intervening too late. This situation has led to direct risks to the health of the mother and the unborn child, without putting the life of either of them in imminent danger. Finally, the time devoted to this patient in a tense organization was to the detriment of the care of other patients., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: There is a need to update the understanding of treatment refusal among cancer patients in China, taking into account recent developments. This study investigated how public insurance coverage of the first breast cancer targeted therapy contributed to the changes in treatment refusal among HER2-positive breast cancer patients in China. And it intensively examined and discussed additional barriers affecting patient utilization of innovative anticancer medicines based on the types and reasons for treatment refusal., Methods: This retrospective study included female breast cancer patients diagnosed as HER2-positive who received treatment at a provincial oncology center in southern China between 2014 and 2020. Multivariable analysis was conducted using a binary logistic regression model. Subgroup analysis was performed with the same regression model., Results: Among the 1,322 HER2-positive breast cancer patients who received treatment at the study hospital between 2014 and 2020, 327 (24.55%) had ever refused treatment. Economic reasons were reported as the primary cause by 142 patients (43.43%). Patients diagnosed after September 2017, when the first breast cancer targeted therapy was included in the public health insurance, were less likely to refuse treatment (OR = 0.64, 95% CI:0.45 ~ 0.91, p  = 0.01) compared to those diagnosed before September 2017. Patients enrolled in the resident health insurance were more likely to refuse treatment (OR = 2.43, 95% CI:1.77 ~ 3.35, p  < 0.001) than those enrolled in the employee health insurance., Conclusion: This study reveals a high rate of treatment refusal among HER2-positive breast cancer patients, primarily attributed to financial factors. The disparity in public health insurance benefits resulted in a heavier economic burden for patients with less comprehensive benefits. Furthermore, the study identified challenges faced by patients seeking quality-assured cancer care in underdeveloped regions in China. By addressing economic barriers, promoting accurate health information, and improving cancer care capacity across the country can reduce the rate of treatment refusal., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wang, Lian, Wu, Wu, Zhang, Liu, Chen and Sun.)

The consensus recommendations by Salter and colleagues (2023) regarding pediatric decision-making intentionally omitted adolescents due to the additional complexity their evolving autonomy presented. Using two case studies, one focused on truth-telling and disclosure and one focused on treatment refusal, this article examines medical decision-making with and for adolescents in the context of the six consensus recommendations. It concludes that the consensus recommendations could reasonably apply to older children.

Introduction: Patients discharged against medical advice have been shown to have worse outcomes across a host of different conditions. However, risk factors related to increased odds of discharge against medical advice remain understudied in patients who suffer from acute cerebral infarction., Methods: We retrospectively examined the 2019 National Emergency Department Sample Database for stroke patients. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate associations between patient- and hospital-level factors and the outcome of discharge against medical advice., Results: Of the 603,623 encounters for acute ischemic stroke, 8,858 (1.5%) were discharged against medical advice. Predictors of discharge against medical advice were lower income quartile and having either Medicaid insurance (odds ratio [OR] 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10-1.58) or being uninsured (OR 1.28, 95% CI: 1.03-1.58). Vascular comorbidities associated with discharge against medical advice included prior tobacco use (OR 1.60, 95% CI: 1.45-1.78) and coronary artery disease (OR 1.19, 95% CI: 1.04-1.35). Treatment with thrombectomy (OR 0.33, 95% CI: 0.13-0.78) or systemic thrombolysis (OR 0.39, 95% CI: 0.23-0.66) was inversely associated with discharge against medical advice. A high modified Charlson comorbidity index (3+ vs. 0, OR 0.49, 95% CI: 0.42-0.56) was also associated with a lower odds of discharge against medical advice. Presenting to a Northeastern hospital had the highest rate of discharge against medical advice, when compared to other regions (p &lt; 0.05)., Conclusions: Certain patient-level, socioeconomic, and regional factors were associated with discharge against medical advice following acute stroke. These patient- and systems-level factors warrant heightened attention in order to optimize acute care and secondary prevention strategies., (© 2023 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.