Patient Rights and Responsibilities

Patient Rights and Responsibilities

As a patient of Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital, you have rights when you choose us to be your care provider. It is important to understand what your rights are so we can work together to provide the best care possible to you. Your rights include access to health information, fair treatment and freedom to choose your medical providers.
Your rights are to:

  • Have your questions answered on your condition and treatments.
  • Participate in decisions about your care.
  • Give informed consent to treatments.
  • Know who your care providers are.

Our staff are committed to supporting and upholding your rights to considerate and compassionate care. This includes safeguarding your confidentiality, personal dignity and safety, and respecting your cultural, psychological and spiritual values. Understanding and accepting your rights and responsibilities (including those of your family and visitors) strengthens the partnership between you and your care team and supports better health outcomes for you.
You or your designee have the right to:

  1. Respectful and Safe Care
  2. Be informed of patient rights.
  3. Respectful care given by competent health personnel without discrimination, subject to the rights and freedoms of others and public interest.
  4. Receive visitors whom she or he designates, including but not limited to a spouse, a domestic partner, another family member, or a friend. Patient visitation is only restricted when the visitor’s presence infringes on others’ rights, safety, or is medically or therapeutically contraindicated for the patient.
  5. Receive information in a manner he/she understands. An interpreter or appropriate auxiliary aids and services will be provided when necessary, so that the patient can effectively communicate with his/her health care providers.
  6. Good, quality care and high professional standards that are continually maintained and reviewed.
  7. Receive medical and nursing care in a safe setting and environment that preserves dignity and contributes to a positive self-image.
  8. Be free from seclusion and restraints that are not medically necessary or are used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff. Seclusion or restraints may be used in emergencies to ensure the patient’s physical safety when less restrictive interventions have been determined to be ineffective.
  9. Useful written and spoken information, via interpreting services, if necessary, about pain and pain relief measures, state-of-the-art pain management and concerned and competent professional health care providers committed to pain prevention and control who respond promptly and seriously to reports of pain.
  10. To receive at least a medical screening exam, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay, and the right to have any emergency medical condition stabilised or to be transferred appropriately when he/ she presents at Accidents and Emergency Department.
  11. Be given the names of his/her attending physician/nurses, all other physicians directly participating in his/her care, and the names and functions of other health care providers having direct contact with the patient.
  12. Expect emergency procedures to be implemented without unnecessary delay.
  13. Participate in development, implementation and revision of his/her care plan, if mentally capable (and if not, the patient’s authorized representative). If a patient later becomes mentally capable of understanding, he/she has the right to be informed of his or her care plan.
  14. Full information to make informed decisions concerning his/her care in understandable terms, concerning his/her diagnosis, treatment and prognosis, including information about alternative treatments and possible complications, via interpreting services if necessary. When it is not possible or medically advisable to give such information to a patient, the information shall be given to the patient’s authorized representative.
  15. Refuse any medication, treatment or procedure to the extent permitted by the law. A physician shall inform the patient of his/her right to refuse any medication, treatment or procedures and of the medical consequences of such refusal.
  16. Make advance directives and to have staff and health care personnel comply with these directives, within the limits of the law.
  17. Have his/her wishes concerning organ donation documented for as long as it is in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
  18. Decide whether to participate in research, investigation, or clinical trials. A patient will be given the following information to assist with his/her decision:
    • Purpose of the research.
    • The expected duration of the patient’s participation.
    • A clear description of the procedures to be followed.
    • A statement of the potential benefits, risks, discomforts and side effects; and
    • Alternative care, treatment and services available to the patient that might provide advantages.
    • Informed consent must be obtained prior to actual participation in such study and the patient or legally responsible party, may, at any time, refuse to continue with the study to which he/she has previously given informed consent. A patient is informed that his/her refusal to participate in research, investigation or clinical trials, or discontinuing participation at any time, will not compromise his/her access to care, treatment and services unrelated to the research.
  19.  Be transferred to another facility, when medically permissible, only after he/she or his/her authorised representative has received complete information and an explanation concerning the needs for and alternatives to
  20. Such a transfer. The facility to which the patient is to be transferred must first have accepted the patient for transfer.
  21. Participate in the development and implementation of his/her discharge plan, which includes being informed of his/her continuing health care requirements following discharge and the means for meeting them.
  22. Have all records pertaining to his/her medical care treated as confidential except as otherwise provided by law.
  23. Be informed about unanticipated outcomes of care, treatment and services that relate to sentinel events.
  24. Privacy during personal hygiene activities, treatment, and when requested as appropriate. People not involved in a patient’s care should not be present during examinations, treatment or discussion of clinical care with the patient without the patient’s consent.
  25. Give or withhold informed consent to produce or use recordings, films, or other images of the patient for purposes other than his / her care.
  26. Examine and receive a detailed explanation of his/her medical bill.

PATIENTS RESPONSIBILITIES

A patient has the responsibility to:

  1. Assure that the financial obligations for his/her health care are fulfilled in a reasonable period of time.
  2. Provide accurate and complete information about present complaints, pain, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, demographics, and other matters relating to his/her health. A patient is expected to ask questions and is responsible for telling caregivers if he/she does not understand his/her care or treatment.
  3. Respect the rights and susceptibilities of other patients and health providers and not discriminate against or harass any health care worker.
  4. Observe any rules and procedures concerning the Hospital and its operations.
  5. Cooperate with Personnel of SKMTH in connection with patient treatment on the basis of information received.
  6. Not demand treatment or services deemed medically unnecessary or inappropriate.
  7. Show respect for SKMTH property and others’ property, ensuring that SKMTH equipment is kept intact and in good condition and that the premises are kept safe.
  8. Respect the physical and psychological integrity and autonomy of others and not to subject others to any form of violence.

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

We are committed to maintaining the rights, dignity and well-being of our pediatric and adult patients. Adult patients or when appropriate, the patient’s representative, as allowed by law, and parents/guardians of minors will receive information on Rights and Responsibilities on admission to the hospital. This information is available to all patients in SKMTH. The hospital does not discriminate against any individual regardless of race, color, religious creed, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status or national origin, ethnicity, citizenship or immigration status. If you feel you have been discriminated against in any way, contact the Office of Patient Advocacy at +267 373 5000/1 Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital:

  1. Provides free aids and services to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as:
    • Qualified sign language interpreters
    • Written information in other formats (large print, audio, accessible electronic formats, other formats)
  2.  Provides language services to people whose primary language is not English, such as:
    • Qualified interpreters
    • Information written in other languages.

If you need these services, contact the Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital Case Management Department at Tel: (267) 373 5000/1