Maura, a 35 year-old-woman, was walking through the grocery store and collapsed into a seizure without warning. She was brought by ambulance to Hartford Hospital and underwent a battery of tests to determine the cause of her seizure.

She meets with her physician, Warren, and he gives her the bad news. She has an aggressive form of brain cancer. Maura is understandably upset but hides her feeling and takes the news in stride. Warren indicates that it is important to begin aggressive chemotherapy immediately and begins to schedule appointments with Maura. He tells her that aggressive chemotherapy followed by radiation is the best course of action and he sends her right out for blood work and additional testing.

Once she returns, he presents Maura with a consent form, which she immediately signs without reading. She has many questions about her upcoming care, but does not ask them. She is not certain if she understands what comes next, but she just wants to get out of there, so she smiles and says she understands, takes her appointment calendar, and heads home.

Please discuss Maura's rights as a patient of Dr. Warren. Have any of Maura's rights been violated?

Additionally, discuss whether Maura has upheld her responsibilities as a patient of Dr. Warren. If she has failed to uphold any responsibilities, please indicate what responsibilities have been neglected and discuss how they could have been handled more appropriately.