title: Respecting a patient's wish to refuse life-sustaining treatment.
abstract: The Court of Protection has recently set out its reasons in the case of a gravely ill 63-year-old lady who wished to refuse a blood transfusion on faith grounds. The case reinforces the Court of Protection's promotion of the right of older, vulnerable patients to make decisions that health professionals might consider unwise and the need for nurses to guard against creeping paternalism when discharging their duties under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
authors.affiliation: Lecturer in Health Law, College of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Griffith
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D028701:Patient Rights; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D016312:Treatment Refusal