Timothy Moffatt, a 72-year-old man in prison custody, died from metastatic prostate cancer. He had declined cancer treatment from 2014-2018 but agreed to chemotherapy after metastatic disease was identified. He also had significant kidney disease requiring ureteric stents. The coroner found that medical care provided while in custody was appropriate. This case illustrates the importance of respecting patient autonomy in treatment decisions while ensuring palliative care is optimised. Clinicians should document patient refusals clearly and ensure end-of-life planning is initiated early when prognosis becomes clear, as occurred here with the November 2019 comfort care plan.
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Specialties
oncologynephrologypalliative careurologygeneral medicine
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