A patient's rights shall include but not be limited to:

Considerate and respectful care, and to be made comfortable. You have the right to respect for your personal values and beliefs.
Have a family member (or other representative of your choosing) and your own physician notified promptly of your admission to the hospital.
Know the name of the physician who has primary responsibility for coordinating your care and the names and professional relationships of other physicians and non-physicians who will see you.
Receive information about your health status, course of treatment, prospects for recovery and outcomes of care (including unanticipated outcomes) in terms you can understand. You have the right to participate in the development and implementation of your plan of care. You have the right to participate in ethical questions that arise in the course of your care, including issues of conflict resolution, withholding resuscitative services, and forgoing or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment.
Make decisions regarding medical care, and receive as much information about any proposed treatment or procedure as you may need in order to give informed consent or to refuse a course of treatment. Except in emergencies, this information shall include a description of the procedure or treatment, the medically significant risks involved, alternate courses of treatment or non-treatment and the risks involved in each, and the name of the person who will carry out the procedure or treatment.
Request or refuse treatment, to the extent permitted by law. However, you do not have the right to demand inappropriate or medically unnecessary treatment or services. You have the right to leave the hospital even against the advice of physicians, to the extent permitted by law.
Be advised if the hospital/personal physician proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation affecting your care or treatment. You have the right to refuse to participate in such research projects.
Reasonable responses to any reasonable requests made for service.
Appropriate assessment and management of your pain, information about pain, pain relief measures and to participate in pain management decisions. You may request or reject the use of any or all modalities to relieve the pain, including opiate medication, if you suffer from severe chronic intractable pain. The doctor may refuse to prescribe opiate medication, but if so, must inform you that there are physicians who specialize in the treatment of severe chronic pain with methods that include the use of opiates.
Formulate advance directives. This includes designating a decision maker if you become incapable of understanding a proposed treatment or become unable to communicate your wishes regarding care. Hospital staff and practitioners who provide care in the hospital shall comply with these directives. All patient rights apply to the person who has legal responsibility to make decisions regarding medical care on your behalf.
Have personal privacy respected. Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment are confidential and should be conducted discreetly. You have the right to be told the reason for the presence of any individual. You have the right to have visitors leave prior to an examination and when treatment issues are being discussed. Privacy curtains will be used in semi-private rooms.
Confidential treatment of all communications and records pertaining to your care and stay in the hospital. Basic information may be released to the public, unless specifically prohibited in writing by you. Written permission shall be obtained before medical records are made available to anyone not directly concerned with your care, except as otherwise may be required or permitted by law.
Access information contained in your records within a reasonable time frame, except in certain circumstances specified by law.
Receive care in a safe setting, free from verbal or physical abuse or harassment. You have the right to access protective services including notifying government agencies of neglect or abuse.
Be free from restraints and seclusion of any form used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff.
Reasonable continuity of care and to know in advance the time and location of appointments as well as the identity of the persons providing the care.
Be informed by the physician, or a delegate of the physician, of continuing health care requirements following discharge from the hospital. Upon your request, a friend or family member may be provided with this information also.
Know which hospital rules and policies apply to your conduct while a patient.
Designate visitors of your choosing, if you have decision-making capacity, whether or not the visitor is related by blood or marriage, unless:
• No visitors are allowed.
• The facility reasonably determines that the presence of a particular visitor would endanger the health or safety of a patient, a member of the health facility staff or other visitor to the health facility, or would significantly disrupt the operations of the facility.
• You have told the health facility staff that you no longer want a particular person to visit.
However, a health facility may establish reasonable restrictions upon visitation, including restrictions upon the hours of visitation and number of visitors.
Have your wishes considered, if you lack decision-making capacity, for the purposes of determining who may visit. The method of that consideration will be disclosed in the hospital policy on visitation. At a minimum, the hospital shall include any persons living in your household.
Examine and receive an explanation of the hospital's bill regardless of the source of payment.
Exercise these rights without regard to sex, economic status, educational background, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation or marital status or the source of payment for care.
File a grievance. If you want to file a grievance with this hospital, you may do so by writing or calling.
A safe environment of care.

A patient has the responsibility to:

Comply with hospital rules and policies and to be respectful and considerate of the rights of other patients and hospital personnel. This includes controlling noise, limiting the number of visitors, refraining from smoking and refraining from all illegal activities.
Be respectful of hospital property and other people's property.
Provide, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about the present complaint, past illnesses, hospitalizations and medications.
Report unexpected changes in your condition.
Make it known whether you clearly understand the course of action and in what ways you are expected to cooperate.
Follow the treatment plan agreed upon with the primary health care professional and keep scheduled appointments.
For your actions if you refuse treatment or do not follow a caregiver's instructions.
If you have an Advance Directive, inform the staff.
Ask your doctor or nurse what you expect with regards to pain and pain management; discuss pain relief options with your doctor and nurses; work with your doctor and nurse to develop a pain management plan; ask for pain relief when pain first begins; help your doctor or nurse assess your pain; tell your doctor or nurse if your pain is not relieved; and tell your doctor or nurse about any worries you have about taking pain medication.
Inform hospital staff about unsafe conditions.

PEDIATRIC RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARENTS/GUARDIANS

In addition to the rights of adult patients, the needs of children/adolescents and they, with their parents/guardians, shall have the rights as noted below.

Patient Rights/Staff Responsibility

Respect for:
a. Each child and adolescent as a unique individual.
b. The care-taking role and individual response of the parent.
Provision for normal physical and psychological needs of a growing child to include nutrition, rest, sleep, warmth, activity and freedom to move and explore.
Consistent, supportive and nurturing care which:
a. Meets the emotional and psychosocial needs of the child.
b. Fosters open communication.
c. Encourages human relationships.
Provision for self-esteem needs which will be met by attempts to give each child:
a. The reassuring presence of a caring person, especially a parent.
b. Freedoms to express feelings or fears with appropriate reactions.
c. As much control as possible, over both self and situation.
d. Opportunities to work through experience before and after they occur, verbally in play or in other appropriate ways
e. Recognition and reward for coping well during difficult situations.
Provision for varied and normal stimuli of life, which
contributes to cognitive, social emotional and physical developmental needs.
a. Play, education and social activities essential to all children and adolescents.
Information about what to expect prior to/during and following procedure/experience and support in coping with it.
Participation of children/families in decisions affecting their own medical treatment.
Minimization of hospital stay duration by recognizing discharge planning needs.

Family Responsibility

Parents/Family* shall have the responsibility for:

Continuing their parenting role to the extent of their ability.
Being available to participate in decision-making and providing staff with knowledge of parent/family whereabouts.

* The family consists of those individuals responsible for physical and emotional care of the child on a continuous basis, regardless of whether they are related.

ETHICS

What are Ethical Issues?
Ethical issues are related to the care of a patient and the decisions that are sometimes necessary to be made. South Baldwin Regional Medical Center has an Ethics Committee, which serves as a consultative resource, to help with problems as they affect patients in the hospital. Any person may request a meeting of the Ethics Committee by contacting any department manager or member of Administration.

Three Principles of Ethics

Beneficence: Doing what is best for the person
Justice: Being fair, distributing risks of research
Autonomy: Respect for persons, not using a person for good of society

Notice of Patient Right on Compliant/Grievance Process

At South Baldwin Regional Medical Center , we are dedicated to providing compassionate, quality care to those in need. The hospital strives to provide health care with excellence to all people we are privileged to serve.

We do recognize we may not always meet your expectations for care and services; therefore, we wish to address those unmet expectations in a timely and reasonable manner. If you have a matter you wish to have addressed:

Notify a staff member, and the staff will attempt to resolve the matter or;
Ask to speak with the Department Director/Manager of the area involved.
If unable to resolve, ask operator to page Nursing Supervisor.
If unable to resolve after meeting with Department Director/Manager or Nursing Supervisor, request to speak with the Risk Manager, or call 949-3531.
For Written Complaints, mail correspondence to:

Risk Manager
South Baldwin Regional Medical Center
1613 North McKenzie Street
Foley , AL 36535

We will attempt to bring immediate resolution to the matter.

As a consumer of healthcare you also, have the right to contact the following agencies for matters regarding care, abuse, neglect and compliance with Conditions of Participation.

The Joint Commission
One Renaissance Blvd
Oakbrook Terrace , IL 60181
(630)-792-5000

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
7500 Security Blvd
Baltimore , MD 21244
1-800-633-4227

Alabama State Board of Public Health
P O Box 3017 , Suite 600
Montgomery , AL 36130
1-800-356-9596