Patient Rights are basic: you have the right to be treated with dignity and respect, you have the right to be informed, you have the right to be included in decisions about your healthcare, you have the right for continuance of care.
If you are not of sound and clear mind, your next of kin may make decisions for you. If you are a danger to yourself or others, the law allows physicians and their delegates to intervene. If unconscious, the law requires the physician and delegates to do all they can to save you, since you aren't able to give consent.
Implied consent is given when a patient co-operates with a request such as offering your arm when blood is to be drawn or a Blood pressure cuff needs to be applied, or opening your mouth when someone wants an oral temperature. You have the right to be treated without bias or prejudice.
Patients have the right to ask questions and to expect them to be answered; they have the right to patient education; they have the right to privacy (HIPA) . Additionally, there are human rights.
In return, patients are required to be open about their medical history, including compliance, and treat the staff with the same dignity and respect. Below is an excerpt from Health Canada...
Clause 4 of the bill outlines a substantial list of personal (individual) rights for users of the public health care system, including:
(a) the right to be fully informed about one’s medical condition;
(b) the right to be advised of the available treatment options;
(c) the right to be involved in treatment decisions;
(d) the right to information on the qualifications and experience of the health professionals from whom services are received;
(e) the right to receive considerate, compassionate and respectful public health services;
(f) the right to confidential communications with health professionals;
(g) the right to have access to and copies of personal health records and to have them corrected, if necessary;
(h) the right to have health records kept confidential and not used for any purpose other than public health services without written consent;
(i) the right to designate a person to exercise rights on the patient’s behalf if the patient is not able to do so because of a physical or mental incapacity; and
(j) the right to be informed of all rights and responsibilities under the bill and under other laws of Canada or a province with respect to public health services.
Recognizing that the provinces have primary responsibility for health care, the bill would enforce these rights through federal-provincial agreements and make full cash contributions to provinces under the Federal Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act conditional upon the conclusion of federal-provincial agreements relating to patients’ rights.
Join Us
Whether you are a lifetime advocate or new to our cause, we invite you to join us. We welcome new ideas and value enthusiasm from members and volunteers, new and old.
