Before hospital discharge with her new baby, a mother felt bullied into taking Depoprovera™. She was a clinic patient but wanted to wait on the shot until her 6-week postpartum checkup. She was asked multiple times and even woken up from a sound sleep during her postpartum stay, and asked if she was sure she didn’t want the shot and finally gave in because she couldn’t deal with the pressure any more.
Another mother, who planned for an unmedicated labor and delivery, and was coping well in labor, was bombarded with hourly reminders from both nurses and anesthesiologists about epidural anesthesia, and finally consented because she felt that, “if they kept asking me so much, they probably thought I needed it.”
What happened to respect for a woman’s choice? What happened to honor for the patient’s choice, as defined by law???
www.health.state.pa.us/pdf/hosp-regs/028_0103.pdf
Ҥ 103.21. Principle.
It is the purpose of these sections to promote the interests and well-being of the
patients and residents of hospitals subject to this subpart even in those instances
where the interests of the patients may be in opposition to the interests of the
hospital. It is declared to be the public policy of the Department that the interests
of patients be protected by a Patient’s Bill of Rights. . . .
(snip)
(11) A patient has the right to refuse any drugs, treatment, or procedure
offered by the hospital, to the extent permitted by law, and a physician shall
inform the patient of the medical consequences of the patient’s refusal of any
drugs, treatment, or procedure.”
There is no provision in the State regulations that protects a patient from harassment if staff disagree with her choice.
What do you think? Is this how you want to be treated?
