Evaluation of Treatment Refusal Causes in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Behshahr, Iran in 2017

Treatment refusal with personal responsibility can be a threat to the health of the patient, as the patient's life may be compromised due to a lack of adequate and timely medical treatment. This study aimed to determine the causes of treatment continuation refusal and the level of awareness of this refusal in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Behshahr, Iran, affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences.

This descriptive and cross-sectional study was performed on patients in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Behshahr, affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences selected via census sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-based questionnaire, and data analysis was performed in SPSS version 22 using descriptive statistics.

From 918 patients, 559 (60.89%) were male and 359 (39.10%) were female, and the mean age for subjects aged below and above 18 years was estimated at 8.5 and 37.8, respectively. According to the results, the rate of discharge with personal consent was reported to be 5.74%. In addition, the emergency ward and ICU had the highest (27.3%) and lowest (1.3%) rates of discharge with personal consent, respectively.

There was the highest rate of discharge with personal consent in the emergency department. To alleviate this problem, it is necessary to explain the consequences of discharge with personal consent to patients.