Canadian Medical Guide > Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment > Therapeutics > Patient Care > Withholding Treatment Terms and Definitions

Withholding Treatment

Medical Definition:	Withholding or withdrawal of a particular treatment or treatments, often (but not necessarily) life-prolonging treatment, from a patient or from a research subject as part of a research protocol. The concept is differentiated from REFUSAL TO TREAT, where the emphasis is on the health professional's or health facility's refusal to treat a patient or group of patients when the patient or the patient's representative requests treatment. Withholding of life-prolonging treatment is usually indexed only with EUTHANASIA, PASSIVE, unless the distinction between withholding and withdrawing treatment, or the issue of withholding palliative rather than curative treatment, is discussed.
Guide Notes:	human only; EUTHANASIA, PASSIVE: do not coord with WITHHOLDING TREATMENT unless particularly discussed
Also Called:	Withdrawing Care,Withdrawing Treatment

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