Patient Rights – Ethics (Nursing)

00:00 Welcome back everyone.

00:02 Formalized in 1948, the universal declaration of human rights recognizes the inherent dignity and the equal and unalienable rights of all members of the human family.

00:14 And it is on this basis of the concept of the person and the fundamental dignity and equality of all human beings that the notion of patient rights was developed.

00:26 According to the American Hospital Association, all patients have the following rights: Privacy, Confidentiality, Respect and dignity, To be able to select and choose their doctor or doctors, Have the right to transparency of their medical condition and treatments which means they have all the information needed to make a decision.

00:50 They also have the right to autonomous decisions about their medical care meaning they can either accept or reject treatments.

00:57 Complete freedom from abuse and neglect, Access to emergency services, The right to manage and control finances and personal property, Competent and compassionate care, The right to religious freedom, Social freedom, Accurate bills for care and services, And finally, the right to express complaints and have these complaints or concerns addressed.

01:29 The patients also have a right to refuse care.

01:32 Under the patient self-determination act, this act upholds and emphasizes the person's right to make decisions relating to current and future care and treatments.

01:42 Also, the Health Insurance Portablility and Accountability Act otherwise known as HIPAA.

01:47 This supports and upholds the clients' rights to confidentiality and the privacy of their medical-related information regardless of its form.

01:55 Informed consent is the patient's election of a treatment or procedure which is based on their full understanding of the treatment or procedure, its benefits, its risks and any alternatives to the particular treatment or procedure.

02:10 There are three basic types of consent.

02:12 Explicit consent.

02:14 Explicit consent entails the expression of the direct and formal consent to agree to or not to agree to any and/or all treatments.

02:23 These consents can be verbal or in writing.

02:26 Most if not all invasive procedure consents are explicit consents that are done in writing and documented in the client's medical record, sometimes using a facility's specific consent form.

02:37 Implicit consent.

02:39 An implicit or implied consent in contrast to an explicit consent is indirect rather than formal and direct.

02:46 For example, a patient gives implicit consent to nursing care when they have simply agreed to and consented to be hospitalized.

02:55 Opt-out consent.

02:57 Opt-out consent is passive and direct.

03:00 This type of consent is given when a patient does not refuse treatment.

03:04 The lack of objections by the patient indicates that the person has consented to the treatment or procedure with an opt-out consent.

03:13 Now regarding education about patient rights and responsibilities, Nurses are responsible and accountable for ensuring that all patients and staff members are knowledgeable about patient's rights and responsibilities.

03:25 Nurses must also ensure that this knowledge is applied and integrated into staff practice and that all of the patients are exercising their rights.

03:34 And finally, nurses must plan, implement and evaluate an educational activity that meets this educational need.

03:43 Patient and staff understanding a patient's rights can be measured and evaluated indirectly and directly.

03:49 Nurses can indirectly or directly observe the staff members' interactions with the patient and the education that the nurse provides to the patient in terms of their rights.

03:59 Regarding patient rights, nurses should respect the rights of the patient, recognize each patient as an individual with unique health care needs, respect each patient's personal dignity, and nurses should be committed to providing considerate, respectful care focused upon the patient's individual needs.

04:19 So in thinking about everything that we've covered today, I'd like for you to consider this question: What are three types of consent? They are explicit consents, implicit consents and opt-out consents.

04:35 I hope you've enjoyed today's video on patient rights.

04:38 Thanks so much for watching.