Please Listen to Me

The Car Accident
Back in the 1990's, Oscar (not his real name) got in a car with a friend who had been drinking but insisted on driving.  The driver's cousin sat in the back seat.  Oscar's friend started driving down the road, weaving back and forth.  The cousin begged him to stop the car and let him drive.  His pleas only made the driver angry, and his driving became more erratic. Suddenly the car spun and flipped, turning over and over.  When the car landed, Oscar and the driver were seriously injured.  The cousin was mostly unhurt, and he ran for help.


Paramedics arrived quickly and assessed the victims' injuries. A collar was placed around Oscar's neck, and he was told to hold his head very still. He was air-lifted to the nearest Emergency Room. An ER physician examined Oscar and noted that while Oscar had no feeling below his waist and could not move his legs, he was still able to move his arms. The physician told Oscar, "Don't let anyone touch that collar around your neck! It needs to stay on, and you must not move your head!" 


The Tragedy That Never Had to Happen
Oscar was admitted to the hospital, and it wasn't long before another physician was asked to evaluate the extent of Oscar's spinal injury. Oscar was still able to move both of his arms, and the physician again reiterated to Oscar that he must not move his head.  The neck collar had to stay in place.


After the physician left, a nurse entered Oscar's room and told him she needed to remove the neck collar so she could clean the large amount of dried blood on Oscar's head, neck, and chest.  Oscar told her she that the doctor said the collar was not to be removed. The nurse said, "It will be fine.  I'll be careful."  Again, Oscar repeated that the doctor said the collar was absolutely NOT to come off.  The nurse ignored Oscar's warning and removed the collar. Then she turned Oscar's head side to side so she could clean the blood from the back of his head. Oscar screamed in pain. He tried to reach up to stop the nurse, but nothing happened.  Oscar could no longer move his arms.


Refusing Treatment
If you are a patient, and you feel a particular treatment or action on the nurse's or physician's part may not be in your best interest and perhaps may even be harmful, you have a right to refuse treatment.  In Oscar's case, he could have told the nurse, "I am officially refusing to allow you to touch me. Do not touch me, and get me your supervisor immediately."


Nurses are taught in nursing school to listen to their patients.  They are taught that patients have the right to refuse treatment.  Forcing treatment of any kind on a patient is unethical and completely unacceptable.  Most nurses listen to their patients and would never force anything on a patient, even if they disagree with the patient's decision.


As a patient, your responsibility is to ask questions that will help you to be a well-informed decision maker.  Until you have all the information you need, you may refuse treatment at any time.  It's your right.