The Effect of an Education-Based Intervention on Self-Reported Awareness and Practice of Iranian Nurses in Observing Patients’ Rights

BACKGROUND For patients' rights to be observed, first patients and health care providers should be aware of these rights. Nurses' lack of awareness of these rights leads to their inability to recognize patients' legal and ethical issues, and reduces the quality of provided services. This study was conducted to determine the effect of an education-based intervention on self-reported awareness and practice of nurses in observing patients' rights. METHODS In this quasi-experimental study, awareness and practice of 90 nurses on Patient's Bill of Rights were examined in case and control groups, before, 2 and 4 weeks after an educational intervention program on. Participants were selected from teaching hospitals of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Data was gathered using the valid and reliable 21-item questionnaire in a 3-point Likert scale during a 5-month period from October 2013 to March 2014. For data analysis, descriptive statistical methods, paired t-test, and repeated measure analysis of variance at significant level P<0.05 were used. RESULTS Participants' mean age and work experience were found 37.1 ± 5.71 years and 11.76 ± 5.99 years respectively. Mean scores of nurses' awareness and practice before intervention were 15.12 ± 2.19 and 9.13 ± 2.36, accordingly. Repeated measure analysis of variance test showed a significant difference in awareness and practice of nurses before and after intervention (P<0.001). CONCLUSION Enhancing nurses' awareness on Patient's Bill of Rights through revision of educational curriculum in nursing schools, together with considering appropriate relevant content in continuous education programs in health systems can lead to improved quality of nursing care services.