To Our Patients
Believing that mutual understandings between patients and health care personnel are
important in your care, the Dental Hygiene Clinic at Allegany College of Maryland
defines below your rights and responsibilities as a patient.
Patient's Rights
- You have the right to be treated with respect, compassion, and consideration.
- We will endeavor to respond to your requests for service, aid and comfort as promptly
and effectively as possible. Staff and students will try to answer any questions you
may have regarding the clinic or its services.
- We do not discriminate in providing treatment to our patients on the basis of race,
sex, age, religion, education, national origin, disability, diagnosis or source of
payment.
- You have the right to information about your dental status and treatment options.
- You have the right to receive information about your dental condition in language
that you can understand. Please ask your student hygienist if you have any questions.
- You have the right to be informed of major, reasonably foreseeable risks in any dental
procedure or treatment recommended by your student hygienist before the procedure
or treatment is begun.
- Upon request you also have the right to be informed of alternate available forms of
treatment.
- You have the right to address questions and concerns to your student hygienist relating
to the nature of your dental, the treatment to be given, and the probable dental outcome.
- You have the right to privacy.
- You have the right to privacy concerning your own dental care program.
- If you desire, you may talk with your student hygienist, or staff, in private if reasonably
possible, and know that the information will be used only to promote your comfort
and care.
- Your dental records will be kept confidential and will be released only to those agencies
or persons which have proper clearance (authorization forms signed by you). Government
agencies, by law, also have the power to access records.
- You have the right to expect a reasonable effort to maintain your privacy and dignity
during your care.
- You have the right to see your records.
- You have the right, upon request, to inspect your records at a reasonable time and
place to be designated by the school. You may wish to do this at a time when your
student hygienist can be present to answer your questions.
- You have the right to expect quality care.
- You have the right to expect high standards of patient care. Since this is a teaching
facility your student hygienist's care may be augmented by the services of Registered
Hygienists and/or the Clinic Dentists. These students and their highly qualified faculty
are a part of the health care team.
- Should you desire, you have the right to request consultation or to request a different
student hygienist.
- You have the right to refuse treatment.
- You have the right to leave the clinic.
- You have the right to expect reasonable response to your requests for service.
- Every effort will be made to determine if your request can be filled. When possible,
your request will be filled in a timely manner consistent with the priority of needs.
- You have the right to request information and assistance concerning continuing care.
Patient's Responsibilities
- You are responsible for giving complete and honest information.
- On registration, we need all pertinent information concerning your past illnesses,
hospitalization, medication, and other matters relating to your health. As your treatment
progresses you should continue to report changes occurring in your condition.
- You have the responsibility to be frank and honest with your student hygienist. Tell
those who are caring for you exactly how you feel about the things that are happening
to you.
- You are responsible for understanding your health problems.
- If you do not understand your dental health status or treatment, your responsibility
is to talk to your student hygienist You may discuss your treatments with any of the
professional team who are taking care of you. Understanding your health problems is
important for the success of your treatment plans.
- For your treatment, it is essential that you inform your student hygienist if you
feel, for any reason, you cannot carry out his/her instructions.
- Your responsibility is to be reasonable in making requests for care and assistance.
- You have the responsibility to cooperate to the best of your ability and to do so
in a considerate and courteous manner with the dental hygiene clinic personnel.
- You have the responsibility to be considerate of others.
- You have the responsibility to be considerate of other patients, and to see that people
who accompany you are considerate as well, particularly in regard to noise, and the
adherence to the no smoking policy Disregard in these areas may be annoying to other
patients.
- You are responsible for keeping appointments. Failure to keep appointments will endanger
your right to continue as a patient.
- In order to assure continuity of your care, you need to keep your scheduled appointments
for treatments and tests, and to cooperate with all personnel who are assisting you
in carrying out your health care plan.
The Dental Hygiene Clinic at ACM's RESPONSIBILITY TO YOU
- Our responsibility is to provide for you, the patient, quality health care in a learning
environment where your well-being is foremost. Our services include: Oral Health Care
Instructions, Prophylaxis (Dental Cleaning), Oral Inspection, Caries Screening, Fluoride
Therapy, Dental X-Rays, Periodontal Screening (PSR), Periodontal Soft Tissue Management,
Nutritional Counseling, Sealants, and Recommendations for Professional Care.
- However, we cannot diagnose and/or treat dental caries - for this we recommend that
you visit your dentist regularly. X-rays are available only as prescribed by your
dentist.
- It is important for you to acknowledge that this is a teaching institution with your
treatment being provided by supervised students. As such, you accept any possible
inconvenience to you or your treatment as an inherent risk of participating as a patient.
