Pediatric/Adolescent Rights

In addition to the rights of adult patients, children/adolescents shall have rights, which include but are not limited to the following:

1. Respect for:
   1. each child and adolescent as a unique individual
   2. the care-taking role and individual response of the parents
2. Provisions for normal physical and physiological needs of a growing child/adolescent to include: nutrition, rest, sleep, warmth, pain management, activity, and freedom to move and explore. The patient has the right to be free from restraints imposed for the purposes of discipline or convenience, and not required to treat the patient’s medical symptoms.
3. Consistent, supportive and nurturing care which:
   1. meets emotional and psychosocial needs of the child/adolescent
   2. fosters open communication
   3. encourages human relationships
4. Provision for self-esteem needs which will be met by attempts to give the child/adolescent:
   1. the reassuring presence of a caring person, especially a parent or an adult
   2. freedom to express feelings or fears with appropriate reactions
   3. as much control as possible, over both self and situation
   4. opportunities to work through experiences before and after they occur, verbally, in play, or in other appropriate ways
   5. recognition and reward for coping well during difficult situations
5. Provision for varied and normal stimuli of life, which contribute to cognitive, social, emotional, and physical developmental needs.
6. Information about what to expect prior to, during and following procedure/experience and support in coping with it.
7. Participation of children/adolescents and their respective families in decisions affecting their own medical treatment.
8. Minimization of hospital stay duration by recognizing discharge planning needs.
9. Parent/adult will be informed of any restrictions of visitors, mail, telephone calls, or other forms of communication, which might affect patient care in a language the patient of legal guardian understands after evaluation for therapeutic effectiveness.