Re: NRC Proposed Fine and Severity Level 1 Violation

[BLHamrick@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 5/15/2003 11:35:02 AM Pacific Standard Time, FloodJR@NV.DOE.GOV writes:


> Perhaps I'm being a bit naïve here, but does the hospital have the legal
>
> authority to compel a patient to stay?  If the patient chooses to go home or
>
> to hospice care, can the hospital prevent this?  Would this be imprisoning a
>
> person for medical reasons?



This is an excellent question, and has been faced on occasion or two.  In the two cases I am aware of, the hospitals have declined to "imprison" the patients.  In most people's opinions, they are not under no regulatory obligation to do so.  The regulations require that they not "release" a patient without the proper assessment of dose to the public, and proper instruction, but if a patient decides to leave AMA, there does not appear to be any regulatory obligation to restrain them (nor, in my personal opinion should there be).


Barbara L. Hamrick