Citation

Butson L, Shircore M, Butson B. J. Law Med. 2013; 20(3): 542-559.

Affiliation

School of Law, James Cook University, Cairns, Qld, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Thompson - LBC Information Services)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

23600188

Abstract

Doctors in hospital emergency departments are frequently confronted with intoxicated patients who may be uncooperative, aggressive and refuse to undergo diagnosis and treatment. In the chaotic environment of the emergency department, the doctor must decide whether to override the patient's refusal and detain the patient for treatment or respect the refusal and allow the patient to leave and potentially suffer further injury. A preliminary pilot survey of emergency doctors in a regional Queensland hospital indicated that those surveyed had limited understanding of the circumstances in which they could, or could not, legally detain and continue to treat an intoxicated patient who refuses treatment, and the concomitant legal consequences. This article considers the complex common law and statutory framework existing in Queensland to determine the legal position of doctors treating intoxicated patients who refuse treatment.

Language: en