I found an online copy of this document. This can be vital information for you to have to help insure that you will receive the quality medical care that we all deserve.
So save this information & print it out or retype it and take it with you to your appointments.
And if your doctor or a healthcare worker ever tries to tell you, "Oh well, we all have to put up with or live in a little pain now and then".
Well, now you can calmly and confidently show them this document:
YOUR -- Patient 'Pain Care' Bill of Rights and inform them that you have done research on the subject and found that you Do Not have to Live with or Live in, pain ever again...
Pain Care Bill of Rights
As a person with pain, you have the right to:
*Helpful Hints on Your Road to Pain Relief*
Managing your pain is an important step to reclaim your life.
As a person with pain, you have the right to:
• Have your report of pain taken seriously and to be treated with dignity and respect by doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers and other healthcare professionals.
• Have your pain thoroughly assessed and promptly treated.
• Participate actively in decisions about how to manage your pain.
• Be informed and know your options: talk with your healthcare provider about your pain - possible cause(s), treatment options, and the benefits, risks and costs of each choice.
• Have your pain reassessed regularly and your treatment adjusted if your pain has not been eased.
• Be referred to a pain specialist if your pain persists.
• Get clear and prompt answers to your questions, take time to make decisions, and refuse a particular type of treatment if you choose.
--These are the rights you should expect for your pain care.
--These are the rights you should expect for your pain care.
*Helpful Hints on Your Road to Pain Relief*
Managing your pain is an important step to reclaim your life.
--The earlier you seek treatment, the better.
• Only YOU know the extent of your pain and how it affects your quality of life. DO NOT be afraid to speak up!
• Remember, there are a variety of drug and non-drug therapies (physical therapy, yoga, meditation) available to effectively control pain; these are typically used in combination with medications.
• Knowledge IS power. Many people living with pain and even some healthcare providers believe that opioid medications are addictive. The truth IS that when properly prescribed by a healthcare professional and taken as directed, these medications give relief - not a “high.”
• Tell your provider what over-the-counter medications, vitamins and supplements you take, at what dose and how often. Also let him or her know about other personal health habits (smoking tobacco, alcohol use), which can interfere with some pain treatments and increase pain levels.
• Keep a pain journal to record the frequency and intensity of your pain. Use descriptive words, such as sharp, crushing, dull, aching, stabbing, shooting or tender. Also, take note of how well your treatment plan is working and what makes your pain worse or better.
• Write down questions you have before each appointment. Bring a relative or friend with you for support and to help take notes and remember what was said.
Hope some of this information will be helpful to someone...
If anyone reading this has any questions, concerns or would like an advocate to talk with...
feel free to contact me - leave a comment & I will get back to you and try to help in any way that I can.
Love & Blessings,
--snookiecollins
American Pain Foundation
201 N. Charles Street, Suite 710
Baltimore, MD 21201-4111
Toll-free information line: 888-615-7246
http://www.painfoundation.org/
© 2003, 2007 American Pain Foundation
• Research available support groups and educational programs.
Hope some of this information will be helpful to someone...
If anyone reading this has any questions, concerns or would like an advocate to talk with...
feel free to contact me - leave a comment & I will get back to you and try to help in any way that I can.
Love & Blessings,
--snookiecollins
American Pain Foundation
201 N. Charles Street, Suite 710
Baltimore, MD 21201-4111
Toll-free information line: 888-615-7246
http://www.painfoundation.org/
© 2003, 2007 American Pain Foundation
2 comments:
Thank you for posting this, I was not aware of this. I shared it with my adult untreated scoliosis group.
I appreciate all that you offer her and want to also thank you for visitng my blog and becoming a follower.
Wit Metta,
Ama
and thank you Ama for taking time to comment on my posting.
So many people in this country, especially our parents & grandparents generation have No idea that they have RIGHTS as a patient & feel that they have to do whatever a Doctor 'tells' them to do, even if it means living with pain.
The Assumption is: the doctor IS a professional, so they should know what is best - BUT no-one including a doctor can feel what YOU are feeling 'Inside' your body ie: pain levels or intensity.
And when asking to be treated for chronic pain if you have been refused medications that WILL help ease/give you relief from the pain(& nothing else is helping/working very well),
My advice always is to have a copy of the Patient Rights and a friend/family member with you at appts and INSIST that it IS your right to be given the proper medications that are manufactured & prescribed for Chronic Pain.
Doctors are taught and take an OATH to "Help" people to feel better - to NOT be in pain.
It really is just that simple...
Post a Comment