Public he alth care does not pamper patients. Outside of the queues, we complain about treating physicians who are reluctant to provide information. Legal counsel Radosław Tymiński introduces patients' rights and the obligations of doctors, and talks about the "sins" that we commit while seeking help.
Many of us have experienced the unprofessional approach of specialists. Although the most common disagreement is due to poor doctor-patient communication. Sometimes, however, according to the patient, a medical error will be made. What to do in this situation? According to Radosław Tymiński, legal adviser, there are several solutions.
One of them is the Patient's Rights Ombudsman, who provides legal advice free of charge. There you can submit a complaint about the actions of the doctor. This is not the end of the possibilities. “You can also go for advice from a lawyer, i.e. from a law office. Make an appointment, present the case and then the lawyer will try to help and determine whether there is a violation of the patient's rights or there is any problem at all. These are the two easiest and best ways. "
There are also other options that you should know about. One of them is to submit a complaint to the prosecutor's office, but it should be a last resort. Another one is a notification to the Medical Chamber. Despite many room for maneuver, before the patient decides to refer any complaint, he should - according to the expert - seek advice from a law office dealing with medical law, because it may turn out that everything is done in accordance with standards that, as patients, do not we know.
Patient rights - this is what you need to know
As patients, we know that we have "certain" rights. What does this word mean? First of all, the patient has the right to information, i.e. "the right to be informed about his or her he alth condition, what is the diagnosis, what the doctor proposes methods of diagnosis and treatment, what the doctor has in mind, what diseases are excluded, what are the prognosis" - says the legal advisor. Another right is the right to express informed consent.
- […] especially important before all types of medical procedures and operations, where we often get consent documents that must be read. We then have the right to talk to the doctor, ask him questions, ask additional questions and specify certain things. This is a very important right - the right to express informed consent to various types of treatment. This is the second primarypatient's right. - says Radosław Tymiński in the comment.
Consent may be expressed in various ways. If a patient is to undergo a high-risk procedure, the law requires a written consent. In the case of less risky procedures, such as auscultation, consent is oral or implied.
Special cases that do not require consent are a direct threat to the he alth or life of the patient. This means that if an ambulance brings you after an accident that requires immediate surgery, the doctor will not ask for permission, but will proceed with the procedure.
The third right is "[…] the right to he alth services at an appropriate level, that is to services consistent with current medical knowledge. The physician does not have to provide services in accordance with the latest trends, but is obliged to provide assistance in accordance with those principles that are up-to-date, standard and determined by medical knowledge. In the case of certain ailments, the doctor should order a specific course of treatment. If, for example, she comes to a patient, about 40 years old, with anemia, the doctor should first of all perform blood count tests, he should consider iron supplementation, he should see if supplementation helps - and if it does not help, he should look for the causes of this anemia . He can order a whole range of tests depending on what he suspects. "
When and how can you change your attending physician?
The thread of understanding is very important when building trust, but each of us has a different character and not always the doctor recommended by our neighbor will be appropriate for us. Communication is one of the cornerstones of successful treatment, but when a specialist misses us in every field, it can be changed. How to do it? According to the expert, it is enough to… talk. If we feel that the doctor is not telling us everything or we often do not understand what he is saying, it is enough to ask for additional explanation. In case even this does not help, and the differences in perception of the world are too large, we have two solutions:
- The patient may go to the head of the department or the head of the ward and ask for a change of specialist.
- During private treatment, it is enough to sign up to another doctor.
One of the most common mistakes that patients make is the belief in online rankings of doctors. They are a clue in many cases, but that doesn't mean that anything good for others will be good for us.
- You have to install a filter, because the opinions are written by patients who are very satisfied and very dissatisfied - there is no middle group. You have to think about it and not fully believe these opinions. Of course, this may be a clue, but not totreat it as a revealed truth. - says the legal advisor.
Patients have their sins too …
Nothing is lost in nature and a lot depends on the patient to be satisfied with the treatment. Although it seems obvious and logical, many patients still do not follow medical recommendations, which are to speed up recovery and improve the quality of life.
Non-compliance occurs in various ways - starting with a poor diet at high blood pressure and ending with drug withdrawal without the doctor's knowledge - which is a common practice among patients. This usually happens after reading the opinions of other people who have taken the drug or after reading the side effects.
- Very often patients come and say "please write me this and this, because I have this or that". These things happen. Patients, after receiving treatment from a doctor, enter them in the search engine and say "oh, he prescribed me wrong" or "he prescribed a dangerous drug" or "he prescribed me a drug that I cannot drive a car on". - says the expert.
Taking medications is one thing, but often there are situations where patients exchange medications or share medications with their loved ones who do not necessarily require treatment, but a change of habits.
- The second situation I have come across that illustrates this kind of problem is that older people are dating. They sit, talk about their ailments and then exchange medications. Older patients are able to exchange medications and very often it turns out that they take many substances without medical supervision. - adds Radosław Tymiński.