Which statement best reflects the patient self-determination act?

• A. The right for patients to refuse care and the right to die.
• B. A requirement that facilities participate in research studies.
• C. It protects the patient's right to refuse treatment and requires facilities to inform patients of those rights, including advance directives and durable POA for health care.
• D. It requires facilities to report all patient data to a national registry.

Answer: (C)

The Patient Self-Determination Act centers on honoring a patient’s autonomy in medical decisions. It requires health care facilities to inform adult patients about their right to accept or refuse treatment and to explain the facility’s policies on advance directives and durable power of attorney for health care. It also asks facilities to document whether an patient has an advance directive and to respect those directives in care planning. This combination—protecting the right to refuse treatment and ensuring patients are informed about advance directives and who can make decisions if they can’t—is what the statement best represents. The other ideas, such as requiring participation in research or reporting all patient data to a national registry, are not part of this act.