|
AAP News Vol. 10 No. 1 January 1994, p. 17 © 1994 American Academy of Pediatrics
Very young, seriously ill patients aren't considered competent to refuse life-sustaining medical care, but young adults and some teens do have the right to determine the limits of their own care. The Patient Self Determination Act requires hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, HMOs and home health care organizations to inform adults (in most states, those ages 18 and older) and some adolescents of their right to refuse or accept medical care.
|