Patient Rights and Responsibilities

DECLARATION OF PATIENT'S RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

To ensure patients’ best treatment from medical process and realize importance of collaborations with health professionals. Therefore, the Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Pharmacy Council, the Dental Council, Physical Therapy Council, the Medical Technology Council, and Art of Healing Committee together announce Declaration of Patient’s Rights and Responsibilities as follows

DECLARATION OF PATIENT'S RIGHTS

1. Every Patient has the basic rights to medical and healthcare services at professional standards without any discrimination as have been legally enacted in the Thai Constitution.
2. Patients who seeks medical and healthcare services have the rights to true and sufficient information regarding illness, examination, treatment, advantages and disadvantages of the examination from medical practitioner with understanding language to help with a decision to consent or refuse healthcare services, except in case of emergency or life threatening situation.
3. Patients at risk, in critical condition or near death, is entitled to receive urgent and immediate relief from their medical practitioner as necessary, regardless of whether the patient requests assistance or not.
4. Patient has the rights to know first name and surname and the specialty of the practitioners who give cares to.
5. It is the rights of the patient to request a second opinion from other medical practitioner in other specialties, who are not involved in the immediate care of him/her, as well as the right to change the place of medical service or treatment. This is according to criteria of existing patient’s rights.
6. The patient has the right to expect that his/her personal information is kept confidential by the medical practitioner, the only exception being in cases with the consent of the patient or due to legal obligation.
7. The patient is entitled to demand complete current information regarding his/her role in the research and the risks involved in order to make decision to participate in/or withdraw from the medical research being carried out by his/her health care provider.
8. The patient has the right to know or demand full and current information about his/her medical treatment as appeared in the medical record as requested according to hospital’s procedures. With respect to this, the information obtained must not infringe upon other individual’s personal information and rights.
9. The father / mother or legal representative may use their rights in case of a child under the age of eighteen or who is physically or mentally handicapped wherein he/she could not exercise his/her own rights.

PATIENT'S RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Patients ask for true and sufficient information and risks before signing consent form or refusing to receive medical diagnosis or treatment.
2. Patients give his/her own information and facts regarding medical conditions to practitioners during care process.
3. Patients cooperate with and follow instructions by medical practitioners regarding treatments. If patients cannot perform such instructions, please inform medical practitioners.
4. Patients cooperate and follow rules and regulations of the hospital.
5. Treat practitioners, other patients, and visitors politely and with respects. Avoid creating any disturbance.
6. Announce patient’s rights and show his/her evidence to hospital’s related staffs.
7. Patient should be aware of following medical facts:
   1. Medical practitioners who perform with standards and ethics will receive protection according to the law. He/she has the rights to be protected from wrongful accusation.
   2. Medical practice means modern medicine that has been scientifically proven by the current knowledge that it gives more benefit than harm to patients.
   3. Medical practice cannot provide successful diagnosis, prevention, and treatment for every diseases or conditions.
   4. Every medical treatment has risks of leading to adverse event. Moreover, any force majeure may happen even medical practitioners perform treatment with sufficient care.
   5. Screening, diagnosis, and follow-up care might result in inaccuracy due to limitation of technology and other circumstances which are uncontrollable by standard procedure.
   6. Medical practitioners are allowed to use their own discretion in choosing treatment by medical knowledge, ability, limitation, objectivity and circumstances. This also includes consultation and transfer in consideration of patient’s rights and benefit.
   7. For patient’s best interest, medical practitioners might give suggestion or transfer patient to other clinic for appropriate treatment. In this case patient must not be emergency or life threatening situation.
   8. Keep medical practitioners away from knowing medical information or facts may give negative effect on care process.
   9. Hospital’s emergency room is restricted for patient in emergency or life threatening situation. S/D-VTN-003.2 Rev.1 (01 Sep 2015