Question

The family of a patient whose insurance will not pay for continuing hospitalization considers transferring the patient to a public mental hospital. They express concern that the patient will be "never get any treatment." Which reply by the nurse would be most helpful?

a. "Under the law, treatment must be provided. Hospitalization without treatment violates patients' rights."
b. "All patients in public hospitals have the right to choose both a primary therapist and a primary nurse."
c. "That's a justifiable concern because the right to treatment extends only to provision of food, shelter, and safety."
d. "Much will depend on other patients, because the right to treatment for a psychotic patient takes precedence over the right to treatment of a patient who is stable."

Answer 1

The best reply is to affirm that the law requires that treatment must be provided in public hospitals, and hospitalization without treatment would violate a patient's rights.

Step-by-step explanation:

The most helpful response to the concerns of a patient's family considering transferring the patient to a public mental hospital would be option (a): "Under the law, treatment must be provided. Hospitalization without treatment violates patients' rights." This assures the family that legal protections exist to ensure patients receive actual treatment, not just shelter. Public hospitals are obligated to provide a standard of care, which includes appropriate medical treatment, despite the financial concerns the family may have. While public hospitals might not always offer as many choices as private institutions, nor is the right to treatment prioritized based on a patient's psychological stability, the law does require that they provide essential treatment for those admitted.