The law on managing patients who deliberately harm themselves and refuse treatment

摘要

Managing patients with deliberate self harm who refuse treatment in the accident and emergency department is a complex issue. Hassan et al devised on such hypothetical case, found that doctors were not clear about how to approach it, and proposed an algorithm of their own to guide management. As the subsequent correspondence to the BMJ's website shows, some read- ers are unconvinced by the algorithm. Broadly, I think it provides a helpful summary.