When Does Full Disclosure Become Maleficence?
A 45-year-old with no past medical history presented to the emergency department with altered mental status. He was found face down in his driveway with no memory of an inciting event, or of his ride to the hospital. In the emergency department, the patient revealed that for the past two months he has experienced headaches, dizziness and left-sided weakness. On a hospital admission two months prior the patient reported similar symptoms but left against medical advice before any meaningful diagnostic testing could be conducted.