We Value and Honor Your Patient Rights
Knowing your rights as a patient is important to your overall wellness. Taking responsibility for your health means understanding your responsibility in your healthcare choices and excersizing those responsibilities. One important part of your right is to communicate your health issue and any pain you are experiencing.
As a St. Elizabeth patient, we expect that you will ask your doctor or nurse what to expect regarding pain and pain management. To assist with pain assessment, our health care providers will ask you to rate your pain level on a scale of zero to ten; zero is the equivalent of no pain and ten represents the greatest level of pain. We also ask that you assist your health care provider by providing the following:
- Discuss pain relief options with your doctor or nurse
- Work with you doctor and nurse to develop a pain management plan
- Ask for pain relieve when pain first begins
- Help your doctor and nurse assess your pain using the scale mentioned above
- Tell your doctor of nurse if your pain is not relieved
- Tell your doctor or nurse about any worries you have about taking pain medication
As a patient at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital, you can expect a complete assessment of your pain symptoms to allow us to manage your pain effectively and provide compassionate care at the bedside.
