Informed Consent
I was having a conversation with a friend online the other night. One of the topics that came up is client (or patient) rights. Given her own experiences with the healthcare field, and my own on a personal level, she was talking about how a care provider had become angry, even livid, that she had asked what the purpose of a test was. She questioned him so she could be informed but he had taken it as a challenge to his self-appointed authority.
I could relate as the parent of a child with chronic illness. We had our own situations where tests, although simple, had been ordered without our knowledge or consent and with no rationale given to us. Someone just showed up to take our child for an x-ray and no one bothered to tell us why.
Often, consumers of health care (often called patients, or clients in mental health) often trust the judgment of their care providers and go along with recommendations because they presume the person taking care of them knows best. What individuals don’t often realize is they have a right and, in my opinion, an obligation to question their providers and be given a rationale for treatment. You can also ask for alternatives to the stated treatment if, for some reason, you are don’t care for the suggested course of treatment. These are your rights as health care consumers and any ethical practioner, regardless of their field of practice, will respect this and comply.
You might still have something strongly recommended and there are reasons for that. However, a patient/client can refuse all or parts of treatment. In the case of our child, the issue was a chest x-ray. It was an unintrusive procedure; however, the implications of what they were preparing for was something that should have been discussed prior to the poor hospital transport worker showing up unannounced.
When in doubt, ask questions. A reasonable professional will take the time to discuss treatment options with you. At the end of the day, educating yourself is crucial. You are your own best advocate.
Lost at School
Ross W. Greene, author of The Explosive Child, has arrived on my doorstep once again with “Lost at School: Why Our Kids with Behavioral Challenges Are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them.” Looking forward to reading through it and posting a response here when I’m done. If you’ve read the book, what are your thoughts?
Introduction
Hi and welcome to my web site. My name is Janet Utech and I am a Professional Counselor (PC) licensed in the State of Ohio. I’m currently looking for employment in the mental health field. For more information, see my About page.