You see them on hospital walls and hospital websites. Perhaps you even saw one in a patient admission packet if you or someone close to you had a hospital stay. I’m referring to the statements of patients’ rights and responsibilities issued by hospitals throughout the United States and beyond. The very notion of patients’ rights seems reassuring, and I’m glad that hospitals tell patients that they have a right to be treated with respect and to receive quality health care without being discriminated against, among other rights. However, some of the patients’ responsibilities statements reveal unrealistic expectations of patients, send mixed signals about patients’ autonomy, or include parts that seem downright silly…. Read More→