Healthcare Professional Rights

Introduction The purpose of this paper is to discuss the rights and responsibilities of the patient as well as the healthcare professional and why it is important to honor these rights. These rights and responsibilities should be followed in order to help ensure the safe, effective, efficient and quality healthcare to each individual. As a patient you have the right to be involved in your healthcare treatment and as a healthcare professional it is your duty to respect the rights of your customers. It is important for every individual to know and understand their rights as a patient when it comes to their health and what could be done, or what should or shouldn’t be done. A lot of people aren’t aware of their rights as a patient or even aware

The physician is under no legal obligation to treat patients who wish to exceed those limitations” (Judson and Harrison, 2013). Once a contract has been formed between the physician and the patient, both have established rights and responsibilities that they should be adhering to. Under the contract the physician is obligated stay informed regarding the best methods of diagnosis and treatments. By doing this it will help to reduce medical errors when it comes to treatment plans, and diagnosing a patient’s illness. Another obligation would be to perform to the best of their ability even if they are receiving a fee for services or not. Upon taking the Oath, it is their duty to provide safe health care and not violate the principles of ethics. Each physician is obligated to use due care, skill, judgment, and diligence when treating patients. Another obligation would be to exercise best practices and judgment at all times, and try to avoid performing unauthorized experiments or trials on patients without them fully understanding the treatment plans or risk. Also, physicians should take all precautions to help prevent the spread of contagious diseases and advise patient against needless or unwise operations while they are under their care. According to Judson and Harrison (2013), just because a physician is treating a patient while practicing

One of the major issues seems to be whether a patient has the right to determine whether he/she lives or dies. Another issue being, does the physician have the right to assist a patient in executing their wishes surrounding the right to live or die? It is important for patients (especially those who suffer from a terminal illness to have documentation carrying out their wishes. Documentation in the form of an advance directive such as Living Wills, Do Not Resuscitate Orders (DNR), and Durable Power of Attorneys are all legal documentation to help patients fulfill these needs. These documents are to be kept in the patient’s medical record and should be affective when the patient is incompetent and unable to make decisions for themselves. Other dilemmas faced are the right to refuse treatment, denial of treatment due to cost, and quality of life