overview on "Iranian patient's bill of rights" and some practical strategies for promoting patients' rights practiceSoodabeh Joolaee'

ABSTRACT

Considering patients' rights has a long history in medicine. Continued attention to this phenomenon has risen in medical sciences literature particularly during the last few decades and has caused many discussions in health care delivery systems. Despite Iranian Muslim culture's fullness of humanistic lessons and the challenges by the government, the concept of patients' rights has not received its proper situation in Iranian health care delivery system yet. However, establishment of "Iranian patient bill of rights" by the Ministry of Health and Medical Sciences in recent years, has figured an encouraging vision in this area. It should be mentioned that Iranian patients' bill of rights is a perceived translation of world's contemporary's patients' bill of rights, which has been formulated by some compassionate medical policy makers who are highly concerned about patients' rights, but it's most important defect is that none of the stakeholders had been involved in the process of formulating this document. In addition there are some items in this bill of rights that are not fit with our socio-economic and cultural background. On the other had there are some problems in our health care context, that this bill can not respond them properly. This article has analyzed the Iranian patients' bill of rights, and is followed by providing some key concepts which should be considered for promoting patients' rights practice in Iran