Your rights as a patient in a hospital are:
- Right to care that is easy to get, always available, and stays the same
- The patient has the right to be treated with respect and to be left alone.
- Right to keep information secret. Right to refuse treatment.
- Right to know things and get an education
- right to express any religious, cultural, or personal needs
- Right to be safe from physical abuse and neglect. Right to give consent after being fully informed.
- Right to complain and to get things fixed
- Right to know how much treatment is likely to cost
- Right to see his or her own medical records
- The right to get another opinion
- Right to move and care that stays the same
- Right to know the rules and regulations of a hospital
As a hospital patient, you have to do the following:
- To tell the truth about his or her health, including current condition, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, natural products, vitamins, and anything else that has to do with his or her health.
- Give full and correct information, such as your full name, address, and other details.
- To ask questions when he or she doesn’t understand what the doctor or other members of the healthcare team say about the diagnosis or treatment. He or she should also tell the doctor if he or she thinks it will be hard to follow the treatment plan or condition-specific alternative therapies.
- Respect all of the hospital’s rules and regulations:
- Follow the policy that says you can’t smoke.
- Follow the rules for visitors to protect the rights and comfort of every patient. Think about how loud it is, how private it is, and how safe it is. There are no weapons allowed on the property.
- Be kind and polite to the hospital staff, other patients, and visitors.
- To be on time if you have an appointment. To cancel or reschedule as early as possible if the appointments need to be changed or canceled.
- Not to give other people the medicine that was prescribed for him or her.
- Provide full and correct information for insurance claims and work with the hospital and doctor’s billing offices to figure out how to pay.
- To tell the healthcare provider if his or her condition gets worse or doesn’t go the way it should.
- To pay for services on time, as required by the hospital’s rules.
- To understand that the health needs of other people may be more urgent than yours and to be okay with the fact that your doctor may need to see them before you.
- To understand that your doctor gives priority to patients who are already in the hospital or who need care right away.
- To use the treatment plan that was given and carefully follow the instructions.
- To accept, if necessary, changes to the environment that will make your stay in the hospital safer and more comfortable.
- To agree with the steps the hospital has taken to protect the privacy and keep medical records private.
- To show up for the follow-up appointment as asked.
- Not to take any medicines without first talking to a doctor or other health professional.
- To tell history in a correct and honest way.
- To learn about the Charter of Rights and, if necessary, ask for clarification