Assessment of Awareness of Health Rights among patients Coming to OPD of Services Hospital, Lahore

Abstract

Background: Patients’ rights are the basic human rights and essential part of modern healthcare practice. The interaction between the patients and doctors is governed by the rights of the patients. Thus every patient has the right to be informed about their health rights. Aim: To assess the patients’ awareness of their rights in outdoor patients of Services Hospital, Lahore according to Patients’ rights charter (PRC) by Punjab Healthcare Commission. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done. The research sample of 200 outdoor patients was specified. Data was collected by interviewing the patients and questionnaire according to patients’ rights charter by Punjab Healthcare Commission was filled. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25. For quantitative variable mean and standard deviation was calculated and for qualitative variables Chi-square test was applied. Results: Out of 200 patients, 173(86.50%) patients were not aware of the Patients’ rights charter. Media was the major source of awareness of patients’ rights for 111(55.50%) patients. Maximum awareness was about the right to be treated with empathy, respect and nobility irrespective of any discrimination, 188(94%) were aware of this right. While the least awareness was about the right to be made full aware of full identity and professional status of healthcare provider, only 106(53%) were aware about this right. A statistically significant relation (P≤0.05) was found between awareness of patients and their gender, educational status, occupation and average income/month. Conclusion: Overall awareness of patients of their rights was unsatisfactory. Patients should be educated about their basic health rights and how they must be treated in hospitals. Keywords: Patients’ rights, Punjab Healthcare Commission Charter.