What Are Your Rights as a Burned Patient

As a burned patient you have certain rights being in a hospital or a physician’s clinic. These rights are available to all patients. Many hospitals in New York and other states have patient advocates, their duty is to help you if you have any problrm during your path of treatment.
Your rights include the following:

1. The right to be informed of all your rights.
2. The right to have adqequate health care.
3. The right to choose your care provider.
4. The right to recieve information from your doctor regarding your treatment.
5. The right to discuss the benifits, side effects, risks, cost and reasonable alternatives .
6. The right to make your own decisions regarding the care you are receiving.
7. The right to keep your medical information private.
8. The right to get a copy of your medical records.
9. The right to receive reasonable continuity of care.

What is an informed Consent:

An informed consent is a consent taken from the patient for a surgical or medical procedure or a treatment after achieving an understanding of the relevant medical facts and the risks involved. The informed consent is a kind of protection for the physician from being sued in the future for negligence and malpractice. Patients should be competent in order to give an informed consent, if the patient is incapable of providing competent consent a family member will do that.

For you as a patient, what should you understood from the informed consent:

1. The type of procedure done and wether it’s a major or a minor one.
2. The purpose of the procedure.
3. The benefits, side effects and risks of the procedure.
4. The other alternative methods of treatment.

What should you do before signing an informed consent:

Burn injuries can be overwhelming for both the patient and his/her relatives due to the magnitude of the injury. Patients and their relatives should remain calm as much as they can, they should read, uderstand and ask any question they have regarding the procedure to be done, it’s benifits, risks and alternatives.

Don’t feel intimidated to ask any question that comes in mind. If it’s an elective procedure then try to arrive early so that you have enough time to read and fully understand all the information on the informed consent (take your time and don’t rush). If you don’t understand something in the consent, don’t hesitate to ask as often these consents has medical terms that are hard to understand.

By signing an informed consent form you are giving your permission to the treating physician to perform the procedure required and as every procedure has it’s own risks and complications, you should feel fully confident that all your questions and concerns has been answered. In most cases your treating physician will explain to you the content of the informed consent before doing the procedure needed.

This information is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice; it should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Call 911 for all medical emergencies.