his best interests that the oxygen was removed?Certainly . (interview 11) The nurse expressed the view that had the oxygen had an expected therapeutic value, the patient's refusal would not have been respected. HA: Might it have been more of a struggle if death had not been so imminent?Definitely...we knew...HA: How do you think, as nurses, we should respond if a patient says "I can't take this oxygen anymore"?It depends on his condition...if they need the oxygen, you are going to keep it on...this gentleman was for TLC. (interview 11) In a third incident, a dying patient refused a nasogastric tube. This refusal was upheld because there was no clear benefit to be gained from continuing the feeding. In a fourth incident, a patient's refusal of antibiotics for a severe chest infection was respected. In this incident, there is evidence that the clinicians felt that, again, it was in the patient's interests for her life not to be prolonged. The patient's refusal was clearly influential in the decision to withhold care. In the incidents in which care was withheld, however, the care was not ultimately considered to be in the best interests of the patient. There is evidence in the previous section that care considered to be essential is given in the absence of the patient's consent. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The data obtained for this study were exploratory. It was not the specific intention to explore the management of the patient who refuses care; the topic arose as a