Right to Refuse Treatment: The Knowledge Gap

The authors conducted a survey of psychiatric residents in New York City to determine their familiarity with a New York State regulation dealing with a patient's right to refuse treatment which had been promulgated 2 years previously. Twenty percent of those responding did not know the regulation existed and 75 percent had never seen a copy of it. Sixty-one percent did not know of an important appeal procedure whereby a patient could implement the right. The implications for future residency training and additional studies are discussed.