Procena znanja studenata Medicinskog fakulteta o pravima pacijenata

Abstract

Introduction: Patients' rights are among the most important human rights because they concern human life. Medical science students, before becoming part of the health care system, should adopt various knowledge and skills that will enable them to provide quality and safe healthcare. Objective: To assess the level of knowledge of students of the Faculty of Medicine about patients' rights and determine whether there is a difference in the level of knowledge in relation to gender, year of study and study program. Material and methods: The research was designed as a cross-sectional study, in the period from 06.30.2021. until 01.08.2021. The sample consisted of 438 students of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad. The research instrument was a survey questionnaire, created for research purposes, distributed using an electronic platform. Results: The largest number of students (57.44%) has an average level of knowledge about patients' rights. Statistically significant differences were found between first and final year students (p= 0.005) and between students of different study programs (p=0.023), while there is no statistically significant difference in relation to gender (p=0.876). Final year students have a statistically significantly higher percentage of average and high level knowledge about patients' rights, compared to first year students. Medical students have the best and medical rehabilitation students have the lowest level of knowledge. Almost half of the students believe that they do not acquire enough knowledge about patients' rights in their study program. Conclusion: Respect for patients' rights is crucial for providing quality healthcare. One of the main strategies to increase respect for patients' rights could be to increase the knowledge and awareness of patients' rights among medical students.