Patient Rights Advocacy

Guidelines:

• Entitled to
  • Calm, quiet professional experience
  • Individualized care
  • Ask questions
  • Control their care
  • Comforting measures
  • Explanation before implementation (positioning esp)

Considerations:

• Privacy in pre-op bay
• Noise from OR in pre-op or PACU
  • Don’t put ortho right next to pre-op
• Assess anxiety and comfort levels
  • Stoicism
• Warm blankets offer comfort and privacy
• Explain steps to patient while competent
  • Again before acting
• Unnecessary conversations to minimum
• Resident training professionally
  • No attending negligence

Nurse’s role:

• Professionally guide patient through process
• Police others to do the same
• Find obstacles and remove them

Pitfalls:

• Professionally guide patient through process
• Police others to do the same
• Find obstacles and remove them

Examples:

• Patient escort stressed caring for children etc (staff get discharge meds from pharmacy, offer private room)
• Patient wants to meet residents who will assist with the case (Patient’s right. coordinate.)

Linchpins (Key Points):

• The RN is uniquely positioned to change a bad experience into a great experience