Abstract
Health is a basic human right necessary for the exercise of other human rights. Every human being is, therefore, entitled to the highest possible standard of health necessary to living a life of dignity. Establishment of patients' Charter is a step towards protecting the rights and responsibilities of patients, but violation of patients' rights is common in healthcare institutions, especially in the developing world. This study which was conducted between May 2013 and May 2014, assessed the operationalization of Ghana's Patients Charter in a peri-urban public hospital. Qualitative data collection methods were used to collect data from 25 healthcare workers and patients who were purposively selected. The interview data were analyzed manually, using the principles of systematic text condensation. The findings indicate that the healthcare staff of the Polyclinic are aware of the existence of the patients' Charter and also know some of its contents. Patients have no knowledge of the existence or the contents of the Charter. Availability of the Charter, community sensitization, monitoring and orientation of staff are factors that promote the operationalization of the Charter, while institutional implementation procedures such as lack of complaint procedures and low knowledge among patients militate against operationalization of the Charter. Public health facilities should ensure that their patients are well-informed about their rights and responsibilities to facilitate effective implementation of the Charter. Also, patients' rights and responsibilities can be dramatized and broadcasted on television and radio in major Ghanaian languages to enhance awareness of Ghanaians on the Charter.
Highlights
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The case study design was used because it offers a holistic form of inquiry[20,21] and has wide application especially in nursing research. It is seen as appropriate since the researchers are interested in a particular setting and how the rights and responsibilities of patients are being operationalized. This design offered the opportunity to do an in-depth assessment and analysis of each of the objectives for the study with a view not to generalize the findings of the study, but to portray what pertains to Kasoa Polyclinic, Central Region, Ghana in regard to the implementation of the Ghanaian Patients’ Charter
This buttresses previous quantitative finding in Ghana that healthcare providers exhibit awareness and content knowledge on the patients’ Charter, when it comes to knowledge on the content of the Charter, the findings of the present study quite differ from those of the previous study.[26]
Summary
Tmhoebfiilnizdaitniogns binadseidcaotentshuacththane haertailctuhlcaatiroens.taff of the Polyclinic are aware of the existence of the patients’ Charter aKndeyawlsoordksn: oGwlosboaml eHoefalitths, coLnibteernatls.PPoalittiiecns,tsChhaavnetanloMknouofwfel,edCgoenoflfictth,eAeIxDisSte, nAcentoirrettrhoevicroalnt(eAnRtsVo)f the Charter. In Africa and the developing world, legislative instruments that are meant to promote patients’ rights exist Some of these are South African Patients’ Rights Charter,[9] launched in 1997, and the Ministry of Health’s Service Charter in Nigeria.[10] In a comparative analysis of patients’ rights across five countries, it has been explained that irrespective of the comprehensiveness of a country’s statement of rights, patients’ awareness and familiarity with the rights are crucial to quality in and effectiveness of the healthcare system.[11] Patients need to know their rights and responsibilities to ensure that they take actions and ask questions relevant to their care and delivery. We employed qualitative methods to study the experiences of patients and health workers on the Ghanaian patients’ Charter by assessing their awareness, knowledge and experiences on the patients’ Charter, as well as the factors that influence the operationalization of the Charter in a peri-urban public hospital in Ghana
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