Patient Rights and Privacy
Jonah, Adam, Chandler
Overview
Informed Consent
Informed consent is a process for getting permission before conducting a healthcare intervention on a person. A health care provider may ask a patient's consent to receive therapy before providing it, or a clinical researcher may ask a participant before enrolling that person into a clinical trainer. Informed consent is collected according to guidelines from the fields of medical ethics and research tactics. An informed consent can be said to have been given based upon a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts, implications, and consequences of an action. To give informed consent, the individual concerned must have adequate reasoning faculties and be in possession of all relevant facts.
Patient Responsibilities
In return, the patient has responsibilities to the doctor or hospital. You need to tell your doctor if anything unexpected as happened to your health condition, to cooperate with the medical professionals, accept the risks and consequences of a procedure, pay for services provided by the doctors, and respect rights of other patients. It’s a give and take relationship between the two, keeping privacy of the patient makes them feel safe and secure while the doctors are trusting that they’re doing everything in their power to help you the best they can.
Bridgewater Case
There was a court case in January of 2015 that was a case of a prison hospital named Bridgewater violating the rights of inmates needing medical attention. Three inmates came forward and said that the doctors at the prison kept them in long periods of seclusion, sometimes strapping them down to beds. The doctors and nurses never said why they were doing this to the patients. In this case there was a violation because even at a prison, the medical staff still has to inform the patient what is being done and why. On top of this, it is also patient abuse if these inmates were kept in seclusion for no reason.