Patient Bill of Rights
A Patient's Bill of Rights is a statement of the rights that are entitled to all patients as recipients of medical care. Typically, it is a statement that articulates the positive rights of which the doctors and hospitals ought to provide their patients, thereby providing information, offering fair treatment, and granting them independence over medical decisions.
All patients should be guaranteed the following freedom:
- The right to considerate and respectful care.
- The right to obtain from his physician complete and current information concerning his diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis in terms the patient can be reasonably expected to understand.
- The right to receive from his physician information necessary to give informed consent prior to the start of any procedure and/or treatment.
- The right to refuse treatment and to be informed of the medical consequences of his action.
- The right to every consideration of his privacy concerning his own medical care program.
- The right to expect that all communications and records pertaining to his care should be treated as confidential.
- The right to expect within its capacity, a hospital must take reasonable response to the request of a patient for service.
- The right to obtain information as to any relationships his hospital has to other health care and educational institutions insofar as his care is concerned.
- The right to be advised if the hospital proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation affecting his care or treatment.
- The right to expect reasonable continuity of care.
- The right to examine and receive an explanation of his bill.
- The right to know what hospital rules and regulations apply to his conduct as a patient.
