The law in every country, though differing from place to place, secures and protects its citizens. The laws made for healthcare systems might be strict but are in the interest of both the doctors and the patients. The rights of healthcare professionals allow them to maintain a standard of care and treatment while also being promised a morally high demeanor from others. It is exhausting to be a professional in a helping and demanding service like this. Enforced laws take care of their well-being so that they can keep performing their jobs, dutifully.
The rights of patients are a part of human rights. Rights and ethics are often two sides of the same coin, and every “patient right” is based on one or more ethical principles. But the sad part is that most patients are not even aware of their rights and responsibilities.
Did you know that as a patient, you have the right to make a hospital negligence claim if you believe you sustained injuries due to poor hospital maintenance?
Not having a basic understanding of your rights and responsibilities can put you in a vulnerable position. One, it compromises the quality of care and service you receive because you do not know what you can ask for. Two, you will not know what to expect from the service providers or what is expected of you.
Keep reading this article to understand some basic rights and responsibilities of a patient.
Rights
Laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) give American patients some rights to navigate through the American healthcare system. These rights decide how doctors should act ethically with their patients but are also derived from basic human rights.
Right to informed consent
No doctor or healthcare facility with a good reputation will conduct tests, procedures, or treatments without getting the patient or his guardian to sign a form saying they agree. This is the informed consent form. Informed consent is a non-negotiable in medical practice. The practitioner is expected to explain the risks and benefits of a proceeding action to the patient before they agree to take part. However, this doesn’t always happen as well as it should. Sometimes, verbal informed consent might be skipped for minor procedures like taking a blood sample. However, the right still holds applicable.
Right to refuse treatment
If the patient is in a sound state of mind and is capable of taking decisions for themselves, the patient is allowed the right to refuse treatment. At any point before the start of a medical procedure, if the patient thinks they are not fit for the procedure or if it is unwanted, they can choose to refuse participation.
Right to privacy of medical records
The HIPAA Act also limits who can get the medical records of the patient besides them and why. It might surprise you to learn who can get access to these documents. Improper access to medical records can have grave consequences.
Responsibilities
Just like there are guidelines for doctors, hospital staff, and even family nurses about what role and function they play, there are guidelines for patients too. These are duties that help doctors and staff to provide better care to the patients, and maintain respectful conversations with them.
Towards health professionals
It is no hidden fact that the USA has faced continued violence against doctors to a worrisome extent. Doctors are humans and deserve to be respected for all the effort they put into caring for their patients.
Therefore, it is expected of patients to comply and listen to their doctor’s advice and be respectful to them. Other duties will involve diligently following a treatment plan you agreed to, and sharing relevant information, especially data that is needed to make a correct diagnosis.
Towards other patients
If you are a patient with rights, other patients are entitled to the same rights. You should be mindful of that and be considerate of other patients. Understand that your doctors and staff are obligated to provide services not just to you but to others as well and would appreciate your patience.
Towards identified others
These are a little complicated because where the ethical line draws is hard to tell. But mostly, responsibilities towards identified others are defined by the relationship that the patient shares with them. One example of this could be the breaking of confidentiality in the interest of avoiding harm and protecting a person’s family by giving them necessary health information, say, in cases of genetic conditions or communicable diseases.
Conclusion
Though the list is not so short, knowing your basic rights and responsibilities as a patient can help you get better services and have a more comfortable experience being a patient. Facilities at healthcare institutions have advocates to ensure that their patients are facing no trouble. Still, if you think that your rights have been violated, you should reach out to authorities to exercise your rights.