Patient Rights
IWOSAN LAGOON HOSPITALS POLICY
- PATIENT RIGHTS
- Access to Care
Individuals shall be afforded impartial access to treatment that is available and medically indicated, regard-less of race, creed, sex, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or source of payment.
- Respect and Dignity
The patient has the right to considerate, respectful care always, under all circumstances, with recognition of his personal dignity and self-worth.
- Privacy and Confidentiality
The patient has the right, within the law, to personal privacy and information privacy, as manifested by the right to:
- Refuse to talk with or see anyone not officially connected with the hospital, including visitors, persons officially connected with the hospital but who are not directly involved in his care.
- Wear appropriate personal clothing and religious or other symbolic items, as long as they do not jeopardize safety or interfere with diagnostic procedures or treatment.
- To be interviewed and examined in surroundings designed to assure reasonable audio-visual privacy. This includes the right to have a person of one’s own gender present during certain parts of a physical examination, treatment, or procedure performed by a health professional of the opposite sex; and the right not to remain disrobed any longer than is required for accomplishing the medical purpose for which the patient was asked to disrobe.
- Expect that any discussion or consultation involving his/her case will be conducted discreetly and that individuals, not involved in direct care, will not be present without permission of the patient.
- Have his/her medical record read only by individuals directly involved in treatment or monitoring of quality, and by other individuals only on written authorization by the patient or that of his/her legally authorized representative.
- Expect that all communications and other records pertaining to his care, including the source of payment for treatment, be treated as confidential except as otherwise stated by law or third-party contractual arrangements.
- Expect that information given to concerned family members or significant other legally qualified person, be delivered in privacy and with due consideration of
confidentiality.
- Request transfer to another available room if another patient or visitors in that room are unreasonably disturbing to said patient.
- Be placed in protective privacy and/or be assigned an alias name when considered necessary for personal safety.
- Personal Safety and Security
The patient has the right to expect reasonable safety in so far as the hospital practices and environment are concerned.
- Identity
The patient has the right to know the identity and professional status of individuals providing service to him, and to know which physician or other practitioner is primarily responsible for his care. This includes the patient’s right to know of the existence of any professional relationship among individuals who are treating him/her, as well as the relationship to any healthcare or educational institutions involved in his care.
- Information
- The patient has the right to obtain from the practitioner responsible for coordinating his care, complete and current information concerning his diagnosis (to the degree known), treatment, pain management, and any known prognosis. This information should be communicated in terms the patient can reasonably be expected to understand. When it is not medically advisable to give such information to the patient, the information shall be made available to a legally authorized individual.
- A patient has the right to access his own medical information within a reasonable time. A patient’s access to medical records may be restricted by the patient’s attending physician. If the physician restricts the patient’s access to medical record information, the physician will record the reasons on the patient’s medical record. Access shall be restricted only for sound medical reasons. A patient’s designee may have access to the information in the patient’s medical records even if the Attending Physician restricts the patient’s access to those records.
- Communication
- The patient has the right of access to people outside the hospital by means of visitors, and by oral and written communication. The patient may request not to be included in the patient directory. Inclusion in the patient directory means that the patient’s name; room number and a general condition report may be given to people who ask about the patient by name.
- The prisoner patient has the right to visitors only as approved by the warden of the prison or jail where the prisoner patient is incarcerated.
- When the patient does not speak or understand the predominant language of the community, or is hearing impaired, he/she shall have access to an interpreter if at all possible. This is particularly true where language barriers are a continuing problem.
- Patient has the right to request for spiritual and religious observances
- There is a process for patient to grant permission for the release of information not covered by lows and regulations
- The hospital has a process for providing patients with access to their health information within the context of existing laws, regulations and culture
- access to health information is timely and cost does not prevent access to this information for the purpose of maintaining continuity of care.
- Consent
- The patient has the right to reasonably informed participation in decisions involving his/her health care. To the degree possible, this shall be based on a clear, concise explanation of his/her condition and of all proposed technical procedures, including the possibilities of any risk of mortality or serious side effects, problems related to recuperation, and probability of success. The patient shall not be subjected to any procedure without his/her voluntary, competent, and informed consent, or that of his/her legally authorized representative. Where medically significant alternatives for care or treatment exist, the patient shall be so informed.
- The patient has the right to know who is responsible for authorizing and performing the procedures or treatment.
- The patient may refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law.
When refusal of treatment by the patient or his/her legally authorized representative prevents the provision of appropriate care in accordance with ethical and professional standards, the relationship with the patient may be terminated upon reasonable notice.
- If a patient is unconscious or is determined to be mentally incompetent and no consent can be obtained from an appropriate family member, legal action may be taken to obtain a court order for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. In life-threatening emergencies, where the patient is incompetent or unconscious, appropriate treatment may be administered without consent.
- Consultation
The patient, at his/her own request and expense, has the right to consult with a specialist.
- Transfer and Continuity of Care
- A patient may not be transferred to another facility unless he/she has received a complete explanation of the need for the transfer and the alternatives to such a transfer, and unless the transfer is acceptable to the other facility.
- The patient has the right to be informed by the responsible practitioner or his/her delegate of any continuing healthcare requirements following discharge from the hospital.
- Regardless of the source of payment for his/her care, the patient has the right to request and receive an itemized and detailed explanation of his/her total finalized bill for services rendered in the hospital.
- Hospital Rules and Regulations
The patient shall be informed of the hospital rules and regulations applicable to his/her conduct as a patient.
- Complaint Process
The patient has the right to file a complaint regarding services and is entitled to information regarding the hospital’s mechanism for the initiation, review and resolution of such complaints.
- A patient who is an insurance beneficiary has a right to receive a notice of coverage and the patient’s discharge rights.
- Patient Participation in their care process.
- The patient has the right to participate in the decision making concerning their own health. Patient would be encouraged to be involved in the treatment decisions as it pertains to their health through proper/adequate education by written information that supplements clinical consultations; web sites and other electronic information sources; verbally informing the patient of the disease condition; progression; treatment, and possible outcome.
- The patient has the right to seek a second opinion. When a patient requests a second opinion, the hospital will not prohibit, prevent, or obstruct a patient, but rather, the hospital will facilitate the second opinion by providing the patient with information about his or her condition, such as test results, diagnosis, recommendations for treatment, and the likes.
- Patients, or those making decisions on their behalf, have the right to decide not to proceed with the planned care or treatment or to continue care or treatment after it has been initiated. e.g. withholding resuscitative services or forgoing or withdrawing life –sustaining treatment. The possible consequence of such decision is explained to the patient /those making the decision on behalf of the patient. They are also informed of the available care and treatment alternatives.
- The organization guides the health care practitioner on the ethical and legal considerations in carrying out patient wishes regarding treatment alternatives.
- PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Patients have the responsibility for:
- Providing accurate and complete information about present complaints, pain, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, demographics, and other matters relating to his health. A patient is expected to ask questions and is responsible for telling caregivers if he does not understand his care or treatment;
- Following the treatment plan recommended by those responsible for their care;
- Their actions if they refuse treatment or do not follow the health care team’s instructions;
- Seeing that their bills are paid as promptly as possible; following hospital rules and regulations;
- Being considerate of the rights of other patients and hospital personnel;
- You are responsible for being considerate of other patients by:
- assuring a roommate’s privacy;
- limiting your visitors to two at a time during specified visiting hours;
- reminding visitors to maintain a quiet atmosphere and observe our no smoking policy;
- using television, telephone, radios, and lights in a manner that is not disturbing to others; and
- respecting the property of others.
- You are responsible for following the instructions of your physician and other
healthcare personnel. Let us know immediately if you do not understand or cannot follow the instructions.
- You are responsible for your actions if you refuse treatment or do not follow the instructions of the physician or other healthcare personnel.
- You are responsible for any of your valuables, including jewellery and money, not deposited in the hospital safe.
- If applicable, you are responsible for providing a copy of your advance directive to the hospital.
- You are responsible to not take drugs which have not been prescribed by your attending physician and to not complicate or endanger the healing process by consuming alcoholic beverages or toxic substances during your hospital stay.
- You are responsible to discuss pain relief choices with your physician or nurse, to ask your physician or nurse what to expect, to ask for pain relief as soon as the pain begins, to work with your physician or nurse to develop a pain relief plan, to assist in measuring your pain, and to tell your physician or nurse about pain that is unrelieved.
- Seeking information and asking questions where necessary.