Knowledge and observation of patients' rights by Tamin Ejtemaee Medical Centers' staff

ABSTRACT

It is important for hospital managers to be aware of their patients' and staff's knowledge of patients' rights in order to improve patient satisfaction. This research was planned to investigate the level of knowledge and observation of Tamin Ejtemaee medical centers' staff according to patients' rights declaration. In this descriptive study, the target population included all nurses and doctors working for Tamin Ejtemaee Organization in the city of Esfahan. Through a stratified probabilistic sampling, 160 nurses, 90 doctors and 170 patients were selected. Data were collected through a questionnaire with 52 questions. Questionnaire validity was assessed via expert review with an Alfa-Cronbach ratio equal to 0.96 for reliability. Data were finally analyzed using descriptive and analytical methods. The collected information revealed that knowledge and observation of the studied population on patients' rights particularly in terms of respect and supportive care standards were higher than average, while it was lower than average for observing hospital rules, reasonable reaction to patients' complaints and conflicts, providing necessary information providing care in all circumstances, and consistency in care provision. There is considerable divergence between patients' views on one hand and doctors' and nurses' views on the other hand according to patients' rights declaration