Rights and Responsibilities of the Patient in Health Care system

Abstract

Patient rights have come into the limelight ever since the Nuremberg trials post-World War II. Afterwards, great strides were taken to ensure there is an international consensus regarding human rights. Due to lack of education and awareness, many patients are still being wronged and cheated of their basic rights. Patients can demand better services and facilities, only when they have an understanding of their rights. The purpose of the study was to assess patients’ awareness of their rights and responsibilities in association with health care. This study was a cross-sectional analysis. The research sample consisted of 400 individuals who have attended hospitals earlier for treatment purpose, including males and females of varied educational backgrounds. The data was gathered through questionnaires and analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics. In this study, results indicated the awareness was not universal. Amongst the rights that were evaluated, individuals were most aware of their right to receive treatment in a safe and hygienic hospital environment. On the other hand there was minimal awareness of the right to access their medical records as well as the right to be informed about their disease and its progression. The study revealed a trend showing increased awareness with higher levels of education. Measures should be taken by the government as well as organizations to improve awareness levels in the lesser educated population. This will consequently improve the quality of health services. In addition, hospital development committees should take extra care during the implementation of these rights.