Patients' Rights and Medical Personnel Duties in the Field of Hospital Care

The aim of this chapter is to describe selected universal rights of the patient. The authors specify the seven types of patient rights: the right to appropriate organization of treatment on equal terms, the right to respect patient's dignity and privacy, the right to full and comprehensible information on the state of health, the right of access to medical documentation, the right to self-determination - to agree to provide health care services, the right to respect for private and family life and religion and the right to seek compensation and other benefits in the event of damage to the result of medical malpractice. This classification is the basis to discuss the specifics of each of them with reference to specific examples of their implementation or violations. The chapter specifically addresses the issues such as the obligation to inform the patient of the medical procedure, the legal conditions for the effectiveness of consent to treatment and the principle of access to medical documentation. Presentation of patients' rights is made from the perspective of fulfilling the duties of medical personnel working in hospitals. The authors make extensive use of current case law of the European Court of Human Rights. The undeniable advantage of the publication is to present selected theses of Polish court rulings issued in cases of violation of patient rights.

Ethical Aspects of Talking to a Patient

A very important role in the diagnosing process is played by the conversation with a patient, which should always have a diagnostic-therapeutic character. The subject of interest of this paper are the relations between medical personnel and patients. The chapter aimed to explain the application of main ethical theories in conversation with patients as a diagnostic-therapeutic instrument. As an example, a case study illustrates basic ethical principles of such a conversation. It as an instrument of diagnosis and therapy retained its value despite introducing numerous methods of diagnosis based on the findings of modern physics or electronics. In our view, the conversation should always aim at the benefit of the patient and the results of treatment as well as sustaining patient's subjectivity and hope for achieving a higher quality of life.

Medication Errors

Depending on the statistics examined, medication errors are responsible for 44000 to 400000 deaths annually. This chapter examined the role of societal attributes in medication errors. Although several studies have been conducted on medication errors there is still no uniformity in the definitions which makes evaluation of medication errors difficult. Despite the non-uniformity of definitions, all the research articles reviewed agreed that enhanced oral and written communications between health care providers and patients or parents of patients was a step towards the prevention of medication errors. The health literacy level of both health care providers and consumers also contribute to medication errors.

The Idea of Human Rights in Conditions of Hospital Treatment

The aim of this chapter is describing of the influence of universal human rights and civil liberties on the formation of standards for hospital care. The authors present definition of the right to life and the right to health. Moreover in the section it is discussed modern standards of hospital treatment under the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality. The authors discuss in detail about selected examples realization of human rights in the treatment of hospital and forms of their violation. During the presentation of these issues, the authors analyze a provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and use a number of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights issued in matters concerning human rights abuses in the course of treatment and hospitalization.

Stress Associated with Orthopedic Surgery and Feeling Pain

Injuries and degenerative disease of the skeletal and articular systems are the most common reasons for undergoing orthopaedic surgery. Those diseases are often associated with pain, which is experienced by the patient long before the surgical procedure. Strong stress reaction is the main source of adjustment disorders of patients undergoing surgical treatment. Orthopaedic surgery, like any other surgery, upsets body's homeostasis. The results of the surgery are not completely predictable, but are always closely related to life and health. Patients' strong stress reaction is also connected with anaesthesia (emergence from anaesthesia), being worried of complications caused by central neuraxial anaesthesia – the fear of paresis or death. The factor which influences worse adaptation process is the patients' post-surgery mood. Right after the surgery, patients feel worse than before it, they are weak, move less freely, they are anxious about their consciousness being dimmed due to medicine intake and pain. The expectations concerning the ways of controlling the dynamics of the pain one experiences are crucial. According to the researchers, in the central nervous system there exist neural circuits that may cause physiological reactions according to one's expectations, and due to this fact the pain one experiences may become stronger or alleviated depending on one's expectations. The lack of positive pain-reducing experience may lead to the learned helplessness or no sense of one's control over pain, both of which make the pain stronger. The pain-influencing factors include cognitive processes and emotions. The role of attention processes, one's cognitive appraisal and one's attitude towards pain has been emphasised, as well as the pain-modelling influence of emotions, all of which emphasise the complexity of one's pain experience. Patients, when asked to point out the factors that hinder effective pain therapy, indicate frustration caused by the lack of information, numerous worries concerning the treatment and the stereotypical image of pain. Relieving tension influences the patient's mood positively, whilst stress influences it in a negative way. The stress one experiences and one's emotions lower one's pain threshold, which leads to greater pain experience and thus makes the healing process last longer. The quality of pre- and post-operational care is thus crucial, as it influences the level of the experienced stress. The pain components influence one another, there occur interactions of biological, psychological and situational factors, which makes it advisable to personalise one's pain treatment. The need of an interdisciplinary approach towards a person, especially to their health, has been recently emphasised. Pain is a biopsychosocial occurrence, which makes pain therapy an interdisciplinary problem. This chapter discusses the following issues: 1) The characteristics of pain in conditions that require surgical treatment,2) Surgery-related stress reaction, 3) Psychological factors which influence how one feels pain, 4) The consequences of pain in people's functioning, and 5) Postoperative pain, the assessment of pain level and its relieving.

Interdisciplinary Approach to Cardiovascular Diseases for Research and Everyday Clinical Practice Purposes

Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) are perceived a leading cause of death globally. Scientists and clinicians still search for more efficient prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and care programs suitable for patients with CVD. Common social awareness and interdisciplinary effort may significantly improve current situation, but the problem is more complex. This chapter, based on research and own experiences of authors, tries to answer the question: how maximize professional resources and optimize outcomes in clinical practice. Aim of this chapter is discuss current issues which may potentially influence efficiency of CVD prevention and therapy, including prevention, modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors, ways of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and cardiac telerehabilitation (CTR), influence of researcher-subject relationship and patient-therapist relationship as far as placebo effect.

Public Health Legislation and Patient's Rights

The right to health care in a contemporary world is widely recognized as one of the fundamental rights included into human rights concept. Despite such general acceptation the meaning and scope of right to healthcare is not universally understood in the same manner. The process of unification has been initiated some years ago and is still being developed. The very first grounds in this regard are: legislation and political documents, like health strategies, programs and plans - both at the common and national levels. The two most important documents influencing and changing the right to health care today in Europe are Health 2020 Strategy and EU Directive on Patient's rights in cross-border care. These documents have important impact on national legislation of EU countries. They change the systemic perspective and create new approach towards patient's rights in this region. Hereby, the main features of the process and analysis of the documents referring to the Polish example are presented.

Interdisciplinary Education for Research and Everyday Clinical Practice

Teamwork, interprofessional practice and learning are integral to current interdisciplinary research and health care – such approach can maximize professional resources and optimize outcomes. The development of modern technologies associated with medical sciences, and the variability of possible neurological deficits, interventions, and even scales makes this task very difficult. The key problem is regarded successful transition of students to competent work-ready professionals. Current models of education and cooperation within interdisciplinary teams may be not enough flexible. This chapter, based on own experiences from InteRDoCTor project, tries to answer the question: how shape interdisciplinary education and how their results may be wider incorporated into research and clinical practice?

Security and the Role of New Technologies and Innovation in Medical Ethics

Modern medicine has never before experienced such a rapid development of what is observed at the turn of the century. New opportunities bring new challenges that both - medical staff and patients - will have to face. The paper examines the role and safety issues new medical technologies in the light of respect for patients' rights and ethical dilemmas. For a better delineation of the phenomenon, presented the key moments of the origins and development of medical innovation. Based on observations and the current direction of the health sector were presented significant areas where abuse can occur at the level of ethical issues. Discussions have been subjected to actions considered modern medicine, in the light of security and respect for the patients' rights.

Clinical Communication in the Aspect of Development of New Technologies and E-Health in the Doctor-Patient Relationship

Patient-clinician communication presents the views of several national authorities on the principles and expectations of shared decision-making between patients and their healthcare providers, including doctors, and nurses and oncology nurses. In this chapter authors focus on the communication challenges facing doctors who trained in medical environment in Poland, in order to prepare communications training designed specifically for doctors and to illustrate how a close analysis of professional discourse can be transferred to work environments beyond the medical world. Authors draw attention to clinical roles performed by medical staff practicing locally and trained doctors.