Iowa § 229.23 - 229.23 Rights and privileges of hospitalized persons.

§ 229.23. 229.23 Rights and privileges of hospitalized persons.

Every person who is hospitalized or detained under this chapter shall have the right to: 1. Prompt evaluation, necessary psychiatric services, and additional care and treatment as indicated by the patient’s condition. A comprehensive, individualized treatment plan shall be timely developed following issuance of the court order requiring involuntary hospitalization. The plan shall be consistent with current standards appropriate to the facility to which the person has been committed and with currently accepted standards for psychiatric treatment of the patient’s condition, including chemotherapy, psychotherapy, counseling and other modalities as may be appropriate. 2. The right to refuse treatment by shock therapy or chemotherapy, unless the use of these treatment modalities is specifically consented to by the patient’s next of kin or guardian. The patient’s right to refuse treatment by chemotherapy shall not apply during any period of custody authorized by section 229.4, subsection 3, section 229.11 or section 229.22, but this exception shall extend only to chemotherapy treatment which is, in the chief medical officer’s judgment, necessary to preserve the patient’s life or to appropriately control behavior by the person which is likely to result in physical injury to that person or others if allowed to continue. The patient’s right to refuse treatment by chemotherapy shall also not apply during any period of custody authorized by the court pursuant to section 229.13 or 229.14. In any other situation in which, in the chief medical officer’s judgment, chemotherapy is appropriate for the patient but the patient refuses to consent thereto and there is no next of kin or guardian to give consent, the chief medical officer may request an order authorizing treatment of the patient by chemotherapy from the district court which ordered the patient’s hospitalization. 3. In addition to protection of the person’s constitutional rights, enjoyment of other legal, medical, religious, social, political, personal and working rights and privileges which the person would enjoy if the person were not so hospitalized or detained, so far as is possible consistent with effective treatment of that person and of the other patients of the hospital. If the patient’s rights are restricted, the physician’s or mental health professional’s direction to that effect shall be noted on the patient’s record. The department shall, in accordance with chapter 17A establish rules setting forth the specific rights and privileges to which persons hospitalized or detained are entitled under this section, and the exceptions provided by section 17A.2, subsection 11, paragraphs “a” and “k”, shall not be applicable to the rules established. The patient or the patient’s next of kin or friend shall be advised of these rules and be provided a written copy upon the patient’s admission to or arrival at the hospital. [C77, 79, 81, §229.23] 83 Acts, ch 96, §157, 159; 89 Acts, ch 275, §6; 2017 Acts, ch 34, §17; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §526 Referred to in §229.14A Thu Dec 11 19:03:10 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Section 229.23 (22, 0)