Knowing what rights you have as a patient and knowing how to advocate for those rights can make a huge difference in the quality of health care you may receive.
Patient Rights: An Overview
Health PEI breaks down what rights Islanders have when seeking medical treatment. These include the right to:
- Be treated with dignity and respect
- Make your own health care decisions
- Have someone assist you in making health care decisions
- Consent or refuse treatment at any time
- Receive safe, quality health care
- Be informed of unintended, unexpected, and preventable events that result in harm
- Know the benefits and risks associated with any treatment recommendation
- A second opinion
- Be included in all aspects of your health care
- Ask questions and receive information in a way you can understand
- Know the names, titles, and roles of your health care providers
- Share your views, observations, and concerns about your health care with your health care provider
- Access or receive copies of your health record
- Have your health information kept confidential (outside of sharing with other health care providers)
Should any of your rights be ignored or you feel were compromised at any point in your health care appointment, you have a few options, including speaking to the health care provider directly (especially if you feel the violation may not have been intentional) or contacting Health PEI to make a formal complaint.
Patient Advocacy and Gender
Knowing how to best self-advocate in a health care setting is important for everyone, but especially so for women and gender diverse people. This is because these groups often face more discrimination, more dismissal of symptoms, and sometimes a lack of knowledge pertaining to conditions that affect these populations.
Tori Ford, founder and executive director of the non-profit Medical Herstory, which advocates for gender health equity, recognizes the importance of self-advocacy for women, gender diverse people, and individuals from racialized communities.
“Research shows that doctors are less likely to believe women and gender-diverse people when they say they’re in pain compared with men (a phenomenon known as the trust gap). On top of that, conditions that only or disproportionately affect women, such as endometriosis, are often underfunded and understudied, making them more difficult for doctors to diagnose and treat (this is called the research gap).”
On PEI, Indigenous People, of any gender, can seek assistance through the Mi’kmaq Health Systems Navigator program. Other patient navigators are in place for seniors, as well as those facing a specific medical diagnosis (e.g., cancer). More information on the patient navigator program can be found here.
Setting Yourself Up for Success at Your Health Care Appointment
How can you ensure that your rights are respected? Below are a few tips to help you get the most out of your health care appointment:
- Come prepared: Be a helpful member of your own health care team by coming prepared with questions and data around your specific health issue. You can track things such as food associations, sleep patterns, weather-related effects, levels of pain/discomfort (scaled), stress levels, and physical limitations/impact on quality of life.
- Come informed: Coming to your appointment with information about your health concern can offer valuable insight for your health care provider. Look for trusted sources from medically based sites and opt for a compilation of sources, rather than just one.
- Ask questions: Engage your health care provider by asking questions, rather than making statements. Asking a question such as “what are your thoughts on this?” opens up the conversation. Taking this small communication step helps ensure that the focus remains on you and your care option.
- Be polite: You should never be rude or aggressive with your health care provider. Should you feel that you are being discriminated against, take notes, ensure that you politely but assertively communicate your request, and then leave. You can follow up and take measures to deal with the discrimination when you are no longer in the health care provider’s care. Always maintain personal safety. (If you feel that discrimination is likely, consider bringing a trusted person with you to your appointment.)
- Ask for medical decisions to be noted in your record: If you’ve requested a specific test, medication, or procedure, and your health care provider has dismissed or denied your request, ask for that to be noted in your medical record. Any health care provider that stands by their decision will have no problem doing so, but those on the fence may decide in your favour when asked to provide written documentation as to why something has been refused.
- Ask for copies of your medical record. : You have a right to your own medical record. While PEI is moving toward digital record keeping, we aren’t quite there yet, and patient files do not yet operate on a centralized system. If you’re able to seek additional medical feedback, consider bringing your record with you.
While your health care provider certainly has specialized training, remember that you know your own body, and you have rights. If something doesn’t feel right, say so. Many measurements that health care providers use to base diagnostic and treatment recommendations on can operate on a sliding scale—so, while your blood pressure very well may be in the range of what would be considered “normal,” it could be abnormal for you.
Coming prepared to your medical appointment, maintaining a polite yet informed tone during the appointment, and taking preventative and reactive measures necessary if faced with discrimination can help ensure that you make the most of your medical appointment.