rights and responsibilities

Your Child Has the Right to the Best Care

As a parent, guardian or authorized representative of a patient at Children’s Health, you have the right to receive information about your rights and the hospital’s policies related to those rights.

Parents have the right, within the limits of the law, to:

• Participate actively in decisions about your child’s medical care.
• Expect a reasonable response to any reasonable request for service.
• Know the names of the doctors, nurses and other health care providers who care for your child.
• Privacy and confidential treatment of all communications and records relating to your child’s care.
• Be told by a doctor, in words or a language you understand, about the illness, treatment and predictions for recovery.
• Receive as much information as you may need in order to give or refuse consent for any proposed treatment.
• Make decisions, in consultation with your child’s doctor, about your child’s health care. This includes the right to accept or refuse medical care for your child and to be told of the medical consequences of such refusal.
• Expect proper management of your child’s pain.
• Participate in ethical issues about your child’s care.
• Access your child’s medical records within a reasonable time frame.
• Have a family member or representative of your choice and your child’s doctor informed of your child’s admission.
• Have your child treated with comfort and dignity if your child is dying. This includes managing your child’s pain, treating symptoms that respond to treatment and recognizing the cultural, spiritual and grief needs of you, your child and your family.
• Have your child be free from physical or medical restraints or seclusion that is not medically necessary.
• Refuse to participate in any research project affecting your child’s care and treatment.
• Complete an advance directive (for example, a “living will”) for your child and to expect your child’s health care providers to comply with any such directive.
• Have help in contacting protective services when needed.

As patients, you have the right to:

• Receive care in a safe setting that is free from harassment or abuse from anyone.
• Be told whatever is needed to understand why you are here.
• Be told exactly what will be done and exactly what it will feel like.
• Be given understandable answers to any questions or worries you have about treatment.
• Have times and places to play and learn.
• Have help to know how to take care of yourself when you go home.
• Get angry, cry or say what you don’t like about what is happening to you.
• Have visitors your parent chooses. Parents can change their minds about visitors at any time.

As patients and parents, you have the responsibility to:

• Ask questions when you do not understand what you have been told about care.
• Provide accurate and complete information about matters relating to the patient’s health. Follow the treatment plan mutually agreed upon by you and your health care team.
• Talk to your doctor about what you expect in regard to pain and pain management.
• Be considerate of other patients.
• Follow the hospital’s rules and regulations.
• Report perceived risks with care and unexpected changes in the patient’s condition.

File a Complaint

If you or your family feels your rights as a patient were not upheld, you have the right to file a grievance and receive a written response from the Grievance Resolutions Committee of Children’s Health by calling 214-456-2273.

If you feel your issues are not being resolved or addressed by Children’s Health, you may contact:

Health Facility Compliance Group (MC 1979)

Texas Department of State Health Services

P.O. Box 149347

Austin, Texas 78714

hfc.complaints@dshs.state.tx.us

Complaint Hotline: 1-888-973-0022

Fax: 1-512-834-6653