Satisfying patients’ rights in Iran: Providing effective strategies

BACKGROUND Assessment of patients' views about the observance of their rights and obtaining feedback from them is an integral component of service quality and ensures healthcare ethics. The aim of this study was to assess patients' awareness of their rights and their satisfaction with observance of their rights, and provide effective strategies to improve the management of patients' rights in hospitals of Markazi Province, Iran in 2012. MATERIALS AND METHODS This analytical study was conducted on 384 patients at 10 hospitals. Patients' awareness of the relevant hospital legislation was assessed by a structured interview, and then patients' satisfaction with observance of their rights was measured by a standardized questionnaire consisting of 10 principles approved by the Iran Ministry of Health of Iran in 2012. In this study, through Delphi technique, effective strategies have been provided to improve the management of patients' rights in the hospitals of Iran. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), t-test, and Z test were applied for data analysis. RESULTS Overall, 89% of the patients were unaware of the relevant hospital legislation and 28% of them were not satisfied with the observance of their rights (1.4 ± 0.6). A significant difference was observed between observance of patients' rights according to hospitals, language, and place of residence of the patients (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference with respect to patients' rights according to sex, education, job, and duration of hospital stay (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The Patient Bill of Rights of Iran needs further revision and modification. Moreover, extensive education of patients and healthcare processionals as the most structural strategies to promote professional ethics, reduce ethical conflict, and increase implementation of the law to respect patients' rights should be taken into deeper consideration.