- Patient Rights
a. Access to Care: Individuals shall be accorded impartial access to treatment or accommodations as to their requests and needs for treatment or services that are within the health clinic’s capacity, availability, its stated mission and applicable law and regulation.
b. Respect and Dignity: All individuals, whether adult, adolescent or newborn, have the right to considerate, respectful care at all times and under all circumstances, with recognition of their personal dignity and the psychosocial, spiritual and cultural variables that influence their perceptions of illness.
c. Privacy and Confidentiality: The patient (or his/her parent or legal designated representative) has the right, within the law, to personal and informational privacy, as manifested by the right to:
i. Receive appropriate treatment in the least restrictive setting available.
ii. Refuse to talk with or see anyone not officially connected with the health clinic, including visitors, or persons officially connected with the health clinic but who are not directly involved in his/her care.
iii. Wear appropriate personal clothing and religious or other symbolic items, as long as they do not interfere with diagnostic procedures or treatment.
iv. Be interviewed and examined in surroundings designed to assure reasonable audiovisual privacy. This includes the right to have a person of one’s own sex present during certain parts of a physical examination, treatment or procedure performed by a health professional of the opposite sex.
v. Expect that any discussion or consultation involving the patient’s case, whether adult, adolescent or newborn, will be conducted discreetly, and that individuals not directly involved in his/her care will not be present without his/her permission.
vi. Have the right to review his/her medical records and have the information explained, except when restricted by law.
vii. Have the medical records read only by individuals directly involved in the treatment or the monitoring of its quality, and by other individuals only on the patient’s (or his/her parents or legal designated representative) written authorization. When the records are released to insurers, that confidentiality is emphasized.
viii. Expect all communications and other records pertaining to his/her care, including the source of payment for treatment, to be treated as confidential.
ix. Be placed in protective privacy when considered necessary for personal safety.
d. Personal Safety: The patient, whether adult, adolescent or newborn, has the right to expect reasonable safety insofar as the health clinic practices and environment are concerned. This includes the right to a humane treatment environment that provides reasonable protection from harm and appropriate privacy for personal reasons.
e. Identity: The patient (or his/her parent or legal designated representative) has the right to know the identity and professional status of individuals providing service to him/her and to know which physician or other practitioner is primarily responsible for his/her care.
f. Information: The patient (or his/her parent or legal designated representative) has the right to obtain from the practitioner responsible for coordination of his/her care complete and current information concerning his/her diagnosis (to the degree known) treatment and any known prognosis.
g. Communication: When the patient (or his/her parent or legal designated representative) does not speak or understand the predominant language of the community, he/she should have access to an interpreter.
h. Consent: The patient (or his/her parent or legal designated representative) has the right to the information necessary to enable, in collaboration with the health care practitioner, to make treatment decisions involving his/her health care that reflect his/her wishes.
i. Consultation: The patient (or his/her parent or legal designated representative) has the right to accept medical care or to refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law and be informed of the medical consequences of such refusal. When refusal of treatment by the patient (or his/her parent or legal designated 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.
j. Transfer and Continuity of Care: A patient has the right to expect that the health clinic will give necessary health services to the best of its ability. Treatment, referral or transfer may be recommended. If transfer is recommended or requested, the patient will be informed of risks benefits and alternatives.
k. Delineation of Patient’s Rights: The rights of the patient may be delineated on behalf of the patient, to the extent permitted by law, to the patient’s guardian, next of kin or legally authorized responsible person.
l. Rules and Regulations: The patient (or his/her parent or legal designated representative) should be informed of the health clinic rules and regulations applicable to his/her conduct as a patient.
- Patient Responsibilities
a. The patient (or his/her parent or legal designated representative) has the responsibility to provide, to the best of his/her knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications and other matters relating to his/her health.
b. The patient (or his/her parent or legal designated representative) has the responsibility to report unexpected changes in his/her condition to the responsible practitioner. A patient is responsible for making it known whether he/she clearly comprehends a contemplated course of action and what is expected of him/her.
c. A patient (or his/her parent or legal designated representative) is responsible for following the treatment plan recommended by the practitioner primarily responsible for his/her care.
d. The patient (or his/her parent or legal designated representative) is responsible for his/her actions if he/she refuses treatment or does not follow the practitioner’s instructions. If the patient cannot follow through with the treatment, he/she is responsible for informing the practitioner primarily responsible for his/her care.
e. The patient (or his/her parent or legal designated representative) is responsible for following health center rules and regulations affecting patient care and conduct.
f. The patient (or his/her parent or legal designated representative) is responsible for being considerate of the rights of other patients and personnel. The patient is responsible for being respectful of the property of other persons and of the health clinic.
g. A patient’s health depends not just on his/her care but, in the long term, on the decisions he/she makes in his/her daily life. He/she is responsible for recognizing the effect of lifestyle on his/her personal life.