DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
Elaine Hyshka reports recent (past 5 years) receipt of peer-reviewed research grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to study opioid-related emergency department care, and contracts from Alberta Health Services for scientific advising on harm reduction.
Notes
1 To maintain consistency with the target article, the authors of this commentary recommend a shift in the terminology used to “patient-directed discharge” (Eaton et al. Citation2020). “Against medical advice” represents a perspective on a behavior and is not patient centered. It is a form of paternalism justification that the authors of this commentary are bringing into question.
2 The singling out of any population (but particularly one already stigmatized and marginalized) for a more robust level of capacity assessment is also questionable. This requires a human rights analysis that is beyond the scope of this commentary.