Patients Pharmacy Rights in California

[Guest guest]

Does your state have a Patient's Pharmacy Bill of Rights? ~ Gretchen

http://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/patients_bill_of_rights.htm

Effective health care requires collaboration between patients,

pharmacists, and other health care professionals. Open and honest

communication, respect for personal and professional values, and

sensitivity to differences are integral to providing patient care.

Pharmacists must ensure a health care ethic that respects the role of

patients in decision making about treatment choices and other aspects of

their care.

The California Board of Pharmacy encourages health care providers to

tailor this bill of rights to their patient community by translating

and/or simplifying the language of this document as may be necessary to

ensure that patients and their families understand their rights and

responsibilities.

Bill of Rights

The patient has the right to considerate and respectful care.

The patient has the right to and is encouraged to obtain from

pharmacists and other direct caregivers relevant, current, and

understandable information concerning their medication therapy and

treatment.

The patient is entitled to the opportunity to discuss and request

information related to their specific drug therapy, the possible adverse

side effects and drug interactions.

The patient has the right to make decisions about the plan of care prior

to and during the course of treatment and to refuse a recommended

treatment or plan of care.

The patient has the right to expect that all communication, discussion,

and patient counseling will be conducted so as to protect each patient's

privacy.

The patient has the right to expect that all records and discussion

pertaining to his/her drug therapy will be treated as confidential by

the pharmacist, and the patient has the right to expect that the

pharmacist will emphasize the confidentiality of patient information to

any other parties entitled to review the patient's information and

records.

Patients have a right to competent counseling from the pharmacist to

help them understand their medications and use them correctly.

The collaborative nature of health care requires that patients, or their

families, participate in their care. The effectiveness of patient care

and patient satisfaction with the course of drug therapy will depend, in

part, on the patient fulfilling certain responsibilities. Patients are

responsible for providing information about their medications as well as

a history of their drug and food allergies.

To participate effectively in decision making, patients must be

encouraged to take responsibility for requesting information or

clarification about the drugs they are taking when they do not fully

understand information and instructions.