The Awareness of Patients' Bill of Rights among Medical Interns and Medical Students at Tabuk University

Bashayer Dhaifallah Al Anazi; Fatma Faraj; Maram Mohsen Al Balawi; Malak Dhaifallah Al Anazi

doi:10.3889/oamjms.2019.785

Authors

Bashayer Dhaifallah Al Anazi Department of Family Medicine, Family Medicine Residency Training Joint Program, King Salman Military Hospital, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Fatma Faraj Department of Family Medicine, Consultant Family Medicine, Saudi and Arab Board Certified, King Salman Military Hospital, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Maram Mohsen Al Balawi Department of Family Medicine, Family Medicine Residency Training Joint Program, King Salman Military Hospital, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Malak Dhaifallah Al Anazi University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2019.785

Keywords:

Patients' bill of Rights, Tabuk University, medical students, medical interns

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Incorporating patient priorities and preferences into their healthcare can improve desirable proximal outcomes related to communication such as the patient feeling heard, understood, respected and engaged in their care, which can soften the negative effects of the illness and can help clinicians in decision-making.

AIM: To determine the level of awareness and knowledge of Patients' Bill of Rights and factors affecting it among undergraduate students and medical interns.

METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study carried out in Tabuk city among all medical interns doing their clinical rotations at Tabuk city (n = 70) as well as the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th-year medical students, Tabuk University (n = 219). An English self-administered valid and reliable questionnaire, based on patients` Bill of Rights (PBR) document published by the Ministry of Health (MOH), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was utilised for data collection.

RESULTS: The study included 205 medical students and interns out of invited 289, giving a response rate of 70.9%. All were Saudis. Almost two-thirds (69.3%) reported hearing about patients` bill of rights. Among those who have heard about these rights, 40.2% gained their information from lectures whereas 16.2% gained the information from hospital posters. The total knowledge score about Patients` Bill of Rights ranged between 0 and 32 (out of a possible maximum of 34) with a mean Â± SD of 24.6 Â± 4.6 and median (IQR) of 25 (23-27). There was a significant positive correlation between student`s age and total score of knowledge of patients` bill of rights, Spearman`s correlation coefficient (r) = 0.18, p = 0.014. The mean rank of the total knowledge score was 83.98 among 4^th-grade medical students and reached to 125.07 among medical interns, p = 0.003.

CONCLUSION: Overall awareness and Knowledge of the senior medical students and interns in the College of Medicine, Tabuk University regarding patients` rights age acceptable. However, some deficient issue needs to be improved.