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Patient Rights & Responsibilities



We believe that our families should be well-informed about their child's care. Your rights and responsibilities are described here.

Patient Rights

As a patient of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, I have the right:

  • To be called by my favorite name or the name I like, and to know the names of the doctors, nurses and others who take care of me.
  • To be treated with courtesy and respect.
  • To have a careful examination followed by prompt treatment.
  • To be comfortable, nourished and without restraints whenever possible.
  • To be safe from weapons and other items that may hurt me.
  • To have my daily routine be as normal as possible, and to get the sleep, quiet and play or activity time I need.
  • To have tests and procedures scheduled so I do not have to be hungry or thirsty any longer than is needed.
  • To make choices whenever I can as long as they do not interfere with my care.
  • To have people talk directly to me and not about me, and to know that my opinion matters.
  • To have my family with me whenever possible.
  • To be told what is happening to me and why, whether it will hurt or be uncomfortable, how long it will last, and to have all my questions answered in words I understand.
  • To have an interpreter for me or my family whenever needed, if at all possible.
  • To have information about me kept only among my family, the people caring for me, and me, unless my parents or guardians have given permission for others to use it.
  • To be given information that will help me to take care of myself.
  • To expect those caring for me to look for ways in which I show I am hurting, and to know the words I use for “pain.”
  • To feel the least amount of pain or hurting by having the staff:
    • Keep me from feeling pain whenever possible;
    • Give me medicine in the least painful way;
    • Use and teach me methods, besides pain medicines, that will make me as comfortable as possible;
    • Ask me about what methods have helped me before, and then use them.
  • To be free from any forms of abuse, neglect, harassment, or inappropriate behaviors.
  • To notify someone if I experience any forms of abuse, neglect, harassment, or inappropriate behaviors. I can do this in one of these ways:
    • Talk to my doctor, nurse, or nurse manager.
    • Talk to the nursing coordinator. (This staff member wants to help you as soon as you notice a patient care concern.) Call the hospital switchboard at 901-595-3300 and ask for the nursing coordinator. One is on duty at all times.
    • Call the St. Jude HelpLine at any time, 24 hours a day, if I have a patient care concern that has not been resolved. (Inside the hospital, dial 2999. Outside the hospital, call 901-595-2999. A staff member answers the HelpLine Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. After hours, please leave a message so we can return your call the next business day.)
    • Meet with the hospital’s chief medical officer or vice president for Patient Care Services.
    • Call the Patient Abuse Officer, who can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling the hospital switchboard at 901-595-3300.
    • Notify one of these agencies:

The Tennessee Department of Health
Health Care Facilities
781-B Airways Blvd. Jackson, TN   38301-3203
731-421-5106 

Quality Improvement Organization (QIO)
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
3175 Lenox Park Blvd., Suite 309
Memphis, TN  38115
800-528-2655

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
One Renaissance Blvd. Oakbrook Terrace, IL  60181
630-792-5000 www.jointcommission.org
E-mail: complaint@jcaho.org
If you have questions about how to file a complaint, you may call the Joint Commission toll-free, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m, weekdays at 800-994-6610.


Patient Responsibilities

As a patient at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, I have the responsibility:

  • To pay attention to changes in my body and how I feel, and to tell the staff so that they will know too.
  • To ask questions if I do not understand something that is being done for me, or not done for me, including any changes in my care plan.
  • To cooperate with the hospital staff in my treatment, and tell them what they need to know in order to take care of me.
  • To let the staff know anything that I am taking in addition to the medicines I get at St. Jude.
  • To follow the hospital rules as they have been told to me, and ask for help when I do not understand them.
  • To take part in my treatment-related care and ask questions when I do not understand.
  • To be polite and thoughtful about other people’s needs to be alone, have privacy and to have quiet time.
  • To let staff know right away if I think something is unsafe or if I feel anyone’s treatment of me is not appropriate in any way.
  • To cry or show my feelings in a way that helps me and does not hurt others.
  • To let the staff or someone know if I feel abused, neglected, harassed, or have experienced inappropriate behavior.

 


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