Attitude on patients’ rights among nurses working at the Teaching Hospital Jaffna

Abstract

Patients’ rights are one of the major aspects of human rights. As a member of the multidisciplinary healthcare team, nurses have a responsibility to preserve patients’ rights. Objective: To assess the attitude on patients’ rights among nurses working at Teaching Hospital Jaffna. Methodology: This was a hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among 684 nurses working in all wards, clinics, and units of the Teaching Hospital, Jaffna. By using a simple random proportionate sampling technique, 421 participants were required for the study. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna. A pretested and validated self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics using SPSS version 27. The results were presented as mean, standard deviation (SD), frequency, and percentage. Results: The response rate was 88.2%. The age of participants varied from 25 to 57 years old. The majority of them were female (70.4%). Participants were categorized into positive attitude (77.8%) and negative attitude (22.2%) by using a 50% pre determined cut-off value, and the mean attitude score was 29.46. The majority have a good attitude toward treating patients with dignity and comfort (98.9%). Half of the participants emphasized the right to patient decision and the right to appoint a healthcare proxy. Patient’s safety and security (99.2%), confidentiality (84.1%) are positively consistent with Turkish and Egyptian studies. Conclusion: The study concludes, nearly two-thirds of nurses have a positive attitude towards patients’ rights. However, a significant proportion still held negative attitudes, particularly regarding autonomy. In-service programs are recommended to strengthen awareness and foster more comprehensive protection of patient rights.