Medical Care And Patient Rights
There are many difficult decisions facing patients towards the end of their lives, aside from dealing with the fact that their last few days are approaching. Some of these decisions require a great deal of thought and may even require some additional research.
Most hospices rely on the services of a social worker within the palliative care team to assist patients with financial planning, wills and advance directives. Patients and caregivers may also be eligible for a state-subsidised grant, which the social worker can help put into effect.
Know Your Rights As A Patient
The National Cancer Institute and Cancer Care Inc. has designed this fact sheet to help patients understand the medical, legal, and personal choices they may face, based on general circumstances.
- Patients are entitled to complete information about their illness and how it may affect their lives, and they have the right to share or withhold that information from others
- Patients should be informed about any procedures and treatments that are planned, the benefits and risks, and any alternatives that may be available
- Patients may be asked to sign an “informed consent” form, which includes this information. Before signing such a form, patients should read it carefully and ask the doctor any questions they might have
- Patients have the right to make decisions about their own treatment. These decisions may also change over time and this is accepted
- In the face of worsening disease, some patients may want to try every available drug or treatment in the hope that something will be effective. Other patients may choose to forgo aggressive medical treatment altogether
- Many patients turn to family members, friends, or caregivers for advice. But ultimately it is the patient’s decision as to how much or how little treatment they should have
- Sometimes a patient is unable to make this decision, due to severe illness or a change in mental condition. That is why it is important for people with cancer to make their wishes known in advance
Source: Health24