The health regulator has issued a warning following several patient complaints about situations that do not align with the principles and practices of humanized healthcare, taking into account the legal framework and guidelines on the matter.
In the supervision alert “Humanization of Healthcare,” released today, ERS emphasizes that all healthcare providers, regardless of having formal humanization structures, must ensure that care is both technically correct and humanized.
The regulator states that communication with patients or their legal representatives should be clear and cordial, with appropriate resources made available whenever the health condition demands, such as wheelchairs, stretchers, or comfort measures.
Patients should be addressed by name, listened to, have their dignity preserved, and therapeutic decisions must include a comprehensive clinical evaluation considering medical history, symptoms, tests, and physical examination, without relying solely on diagnostic aids, it highlights.
Moreover, confidentiality should be respected, avoiding irrelevant comments in front of other professionals or third parties.
Hygiene care, such as bathing, clothing changes, bathroom use, and repositioning of bedridden patients, should always be provided with privacy.
Infrastructures should guarantee cleanliness, ventilation, natural lighting, colors, and signage that preserve dignity and well-being.
Upon discharge, patients should receive appropriate clothing, a discharge letter, or a similar document with care guidelines, warning signs, and continuity of follow-up, preceded by an evaluation of available home support, in coordination with family members, the family doctor, or the continuing care team.
In palliative care and end-of-life situations, there should be dignified space for family farewell and absolute respect for the patient’s individual beliefs, ERS states.
In the context of pregnancy, the woman’s autonomy should be respected, along with practices of humanized childbirth and breastfeeding, while in cases of gestational losses, patients should stay in wards separate from postpartum women and newborns.
For underage patients, the presence of parents or legal representatives and their emotional well-being should be ensured, avoiding practices that compromise interaction with professionals or other children.
In mental healthcare, patients should be treated humanely, with dignity, and without stigma, and physical restraint measures should be applied only when clinically justified, preferring alternatives that respect the patient’s dignity.
The humanization committees of local health units and the Portuguese Institute of Oncology, as well as equivalent initiatives in the public, private, or social sectors, should take all necessary measures to ensure that patients receive appropriate, humanized, and person-centered care.
