Medical Students’ Awareness of Patients’ Rights in Qom University of Medical Sciences and Health Services (2010)

Introduction: Patient rights include the duties that medical team has towards him and the total privileges, abilities or special permissions granted to patients by law. The aim of this study was to assess Qom University of Medical Sciences students’ awareness about patients’ rights. Methods: This descriptive and analytical study was performed in 2010. Subjects included 192 medical sciences students (33 medical, 72 nursing, 48 operating room, and 39 anesthesiology students. Data were collected using a questionnaire containing 40 questions in two sections, demographic characteristics and the patient’s bill of Rights. Descriptive statistics and Chi2 test was used for data analysis. Results: The highest knowledge score was about ''the patient's right to know about their treatment'' with 91% of the students showing complete knowledge about it, and the minimum knowledge score was related to ''the patient's right to know about their discharge time''. Only 51% of the students were aware of it. Conclusion: Students’ awareness in most areas of patient bill of rights was not enough, which can eventually impair the observance of patient rights by medical students and patients’ dissatisfaction.