PhilHealth Benchbook

2005

1. Patient Rights and Organizational Ethics

Goal: To improve patient outcomes by respecting patients’ rights and ethically relating with patients and other organizations.

Standards	Status
1.1 Organizational policies and procedures respect and support patients’ right to quality care and their responsibilities in that care.
Criteria
- Informed consent is obtained from patients prior to initiation of care.
- Policies and procedures which identify and address patients’ rights and responsibilities are documented and monitored.
- Patients receive written statements of their rights and responsibilities.
- The hospital protects patients and respects their rights during research involving human subjects.

Standards	Status
1.2 The organization encourages and promotes opportunities to involve patients and their families in their care.
Criteria
- Policies and programs to educate patients and families on how to take a more pro-active role in health care decision making are documented, monitored and evaluated for their effectiveness.
- Patients and their families are involved in making care decisions with ethical issues, such as withholding resuscitation, foregoing life-sustaining treatment, end of life care, etc.

Standards	Status
1.3 The organization documents and follows policies and procedures for addressing patients’ needs for confidentiality, privacy, security, religious counseling and communication.
Criteria
- Hospital staff is aware of and follows policies and procedures in addressing patients’ needs for confidentiality, privacy, security, counseling and communication.
- The hospital systematically determines, monitors and improves the extent to which patients’ needs for confidentiality, privacy, security, counseling and communication are addressed.

Standards	Status
1.4 The organization systematically elicits, monitors and acts upon feedback from patients, their families, visitors and communities.
Criteria
- Policies and procedures for routinely determining and improving the level of patient satisfaction with all relevant aspects of care are documented and monitored.
- Policies and procedures for addressing and resolving patients’ complaints are documented and monitored.

Standards	Status
1.5 The organization’s personnel discharge their functions according to codes of ethical behavior and other relevant professional and statutory standards.
Criteria
- The organization identifies relevant codes of professional conduct and other statutory standards and informs its personnel about these codes and standards.
- The organization identifies and monitors personnel compliance with the code of ethics relevant to their respective disciplines.
- Procedures for resolving ethical issues related to professional practice or to conflicts of interest are based on the relevant code of ethics and other professional and legal standards.

Standards	Status
1.6 The organization documents and follows procedures for resolving ethical issues as they arise from patient care.
Criteria
- Procedures for resolving ethical issues that arise in the course of providing care are monitored for their effectiveness.

Patient Rights and Organizational Ethics

STANDARDS

• respect and support for patients’ rights and responsibilities

• opportunities for patients’ involvement in care provision

• confidentiality and security of patients’ information and communication

• feedback to patients

• staff code of ethics

• resolution of ethical issuesGOAL:To improve patients’ outcomes by respecting patients’ rights and ethically relating with patients and other

Goal: To improve patient outcomes by respecting patients’ rights and ethically relating with patients and other organizations.