As a patient, you always have the right to receive the following information from healthcare staff when you come to a healthcare facility:
- What your health is like
- The different ways you can be examined and treated
- That you can choose from the different treatment options
- Approximately how long it will take before you receive care
- Where and how the staff think you will receive treatment
- The risks and side effects of the treatment
- What happens after the treatment and what follow-up care is available
- How you can prevent becoming ill or injured
- Your right to choose a regular healthcare contact
- What assistive devices are available for you as someone with a disability
- Your right to choose where you receive care (the provider or healthcare organization)
- The opportunity to get a new medical assessment/second opinion
- Your opportunity to receive information from authorities
Dissatisfied with the care?
You cannot go to court to complain about care that you or your relative are dissatisfied with. The only time you can complain in court is regarding certain decisions about compulsory care and the right to read your medical records. The Health and Social Care Inspectorate (IVO) ensures that healthcare follows laws and regulations. If you think that you or your relative has received incorrect care or treatment, you should instead speak with the staff on the ward where you or they received care. They must then investigate what happened. If you or your relative has been injured in healthcare, the staff must tell you what they have done to prevent the error from happening again. You can also speak with the patient advisory committee in your region or file a complaint with the Health and Social Care Inspectorate (IVO).
Assistive devices
If you have a disability, you may need assistive devices that make everyday life easier and safer. Sometimes assistive devices are part of the treatment or rehabilitation. You may need home care, home nursing, or special transport services. Your contact person or a medical social worker can then help you apply for support and assistive devices. Since each region and municipality decides for itself how it works with support and assistive devices, the rules may vary in different places in Sweden. Some support and assistance are free, while other things you have to rent or borrow. It is often doctors, occupational therapists, district nurses, nurses, and speech therapists who decide which assistive devices you can receive.