Dorothy was in the hospital for surgery. Last time she had an operation they gave her an anesthetic that sent her into convulsions instead of putting her to sleep. Dorothy told a nurse about it, but no one listened. Afraid, Dorothy tried to reach her doctor, but failed. Next morning, when they came to prepare Dorothy for surgery, they gave her an injection of the very drug she had warned them about. Luckily she survived the convulsions.
Going to the hospital can be frightening, if you don’t know what is going to happen. Or if, like Dorothy, you know something has gone wrong.
As a patient, you have a right to be informed. What you know about yourself should be respected, too. In fact, patients do have rights!
This is not a new or strange idea. A number of rights important for hospital patients have become recognized over the last few years.
You should know what they are.
In coming issues of The Paper your rights as a patient will be discussed in this column.
In 1972 the American Hospital Association sent a list of “patients’ rights” to its member hospitals, saying the AHA expects “they will be supported by the hospital on behalf of its patients, as an integral part of the healing process.”
The powerful Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation also has stated that “the observance of (patients’ rights and needs) will be considered as a persuasive factor in determination of a hospital’s accreditation.”
This means your rights as a patient should be officially supported by our local hospitals, public or private.
This includes your right to be treated with dignity; your right to get clear explanations of your condition and treatment; your right to refuse as well as to consent to specific treatments.
These and other rights will be spelled out in coming months.
If you’re heading for the hospital soon and want to prepare yourself, stop by the People’s Clinic and ask for a copy of YOUR RIGHTS AS A PATIENT. Even if you are not planning a stay in the hospital, it will pay you to educate yourself ahead of time.
Originally published in The Paper, April 1974.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1974_04.pdf, printed page(s) 3.
