Health & Wellness
Health Services

Patient Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

The goal of Health Services is to provide all patients with outstanding and confidential health care. In order to effectively accomplish this goal, we must work as a team to develop and maintain optimum health.

As a patient you have the right to:

  1. Receive care that is respectful of your personal beliefs, cultural and spiritual values
  2. An explanation in terms that you can understand and to have any question answered concerning your symptoms, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment
  3. Appropriate assessment and management of your symptoms, including pain
  4. Know your: diagnosis; prognosis; testing and treatment to be used; risks of treatment and common side effects of medications; and financial considerations associated with medical care
  5. Know the contents of your medical records through interpretation by the provider
  6. Know your health care team
  7. Develop a collaborative plan to prevent your medical problem from recurring
  8. Choose or change your provider
  9. Refuse to be examined or treated and to be informed of the consequence of such decisions 
  10. Be assured of the confidential treatment of disclosures and records and to approve or refuse the release of such information, except when release of specific information is required by law or is necessary to safeguard you or the university community
  11. Be informed and provide consent to participate in research conducted at Health Services
  12. Participate in the consideration of ethical issues that may arise in the provision of your care
  13. Provide feedback on the services you receive

As a patient you have the responsibility to:

  1. Provide Health Services with information about your current symptoms, including pain and medications
  2. Provide Health Services with information about your medical and mental health history
  3. Ask questions if you do not understand the directions or treatment being given by a provider
  4. Keep appointments or notify Health Services within a reasonable time frame if you need to cancel
  5. Be respectful of others and others' property while at Health Services
  6. Limit the use of mobile devices while at Health Services

Last Updated: August 2018

Legal Disclaimer

Health Services maintains this site as a resource for Brown students. This site is not intended to replace consultation with your medical providers. No site can replace real conversation. Health Services offers no endorsement of and assumes no liability for the currency, accuracy, or availability of the information on the sites we link to or the care provided by the resources listed. Health Services staff are available to treat and give medical advice to Brown University students only.

If you are not a Brown student, but are in need of medical assistance, please call your own health care provider or in case of emergency, dial 911.

Please contact us if you have comments, questions or suggestions.