Omgaan met zorgweigering bij een persoon met een ernstige psychiatrische aandoening en een levensbedreigende ziekte: een casusbespreking

Abstract

Dealing with refusal of care by patients with a severe psychiatric disorder in combination with a life-threatening condition: a case report Providing good care for persons with a severe psychiatric disorder in combination with a life-threatening condition is a major challenge for health care providers. By means of a case report, the authors analyze the situation of a 65-year-old woman with Korsakov’s disease, depressive symptoms and aplastic anemia. She refuses to be examined and treated, despite many efforts on the part of the caregivers and relatives, as well as the seriousness of the situation. The team has to switch from a curative to a palliative approach in a short space of time. Various areas of tension are assessed: appraising the decision-making capacity of the person requesting care, dealing with refusal of care in a life-threatening situation, and involving and coordinating the various parties concerned, including the psychiatric and somatic care providers, administrator and family. The case uniquely illustrates the challenges described in international literature and recent local studies. The authors plead for the importance of the liaison function between psychiatric and somatic care and the central role of the general practitioner associated with the psychiatric facility. The careful clarification of the legal capacity of the patient who refuses life-saving care, the added value of ethical consultation in order to come to a supported approach and to channel moral distress, and the involvement of a palliative support team within a psychiatric setting are also crucial elements in the approach.