"I Hate Hospitals"

I am sure that most of us hate to be hospitalized. Sometimes, we are compelled by our medical situation to stay in a hospital. Though we may be aware of the benefit of observation and treatment there, nevertheless behaviors of hospitals and their staffs often leave much to be desired. I am sure many of my visitors will have stories to tell (no names please). Though some complaints will be due to misunderstandings (and even misunderstandings represents a problem of communication), many will be clearly issues that are absent from hospital policy, are ignored and remedial action not enforced or are frankly not beneficent to the patient or their family. Thanks to the hospital-oriented publication Blue H News, I got the reference for the following sampling of former hospital patients regarding their consideration of violations of patient rights. I could not find any description of the sampling methodology to present here, but in any event I think it is worth looking over the issues that hospital patients find upsetting for them. Can any of my visitors add to the list? ..Maurice.



In an recent survey of former patients, the National Institute for Patient Rights (NIPR)identified the following as the top ten violations of patient rights:

1. The right to informed consent in accepting or refusing treatment.
2. A respect for personal, spiritual, cultural, and religious values and beliefs.
3. The right to an advance directive, such as a living will or durable power of attorney for health care.
4. The right to privacy and confidentiality.
5. The right to be told of realistic care alternatives when hospital care is no longer appropriate.
6. The right to review the hospital bill, have the information explained, and get a copy of the bill.
7. The right to know about hospital rules on charges and payment methods.
8. The right to know about hospital resources, such as patient complaints and grievance processes, patient representatives or ethics committees.
9. The right to know the identity and professional status of those who care for the patient.
10. The right to review your medical records and to receive an accounting of disclosures regarding health information.
(based on a random sampling of over 1000 former patients)

Discussion of the results of the sampling by the NIPR CEO, Mark Meaney, can be found at Associated Content.