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Sunday, February 16, 2003''If you call about Aunt Sally, they're not going to be able to tell you anything. It will be a big change,'' said Wilda Stanfield, spokeswoman for Centre Community Hospital in State College, Pa. The rules will have a particular impact on news organizations that routinely call hospitals to learn the condition of people injured in crimes, car accidents and other noteworthy events. Information will be available only if a patient agrees. If the patient is not available to say yes or no--say, in emergency surgery--most hospitals plan to keep information confidential. The rules also will affect members of the clergy, who often check hospital directories for members of their congregations. A delay, some warn, could make it harder for patients who receive daily communion and may depend on a visit from a priest or pastor. ''It will certainly reduce the amount of visitation that's done in the hospital,'' said Lerrill White, the chaplain at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston and liaison to the Health and Human Services Department for the Association of Professional Chaplains. In most hospitals the rules should be workable, he said, but patients may need to adjust their expectations. ''Patients basically expect their minister, priest or rabbi is going to show up to pay their respects, offer help and prayers,'' he said. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. Patients really should be the ones who decide who should know about them. But, it could be a problem with older, demented patients, or those who are unconscious. posted by Sydney on 2/16/2003 08:48:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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