Abstract:

Introduction and Aim:
The partnership model of health care provides for treating the patient in compliance with the patient’s legal rights (PRs), specified in numerous legal acts as well as documents without legal force such as, for instance, the Charter of the Patient’s Rights. The aim of the study was to attempt to evaluate the knowledge of the patient’s rights among nurses depending on their place of work.

Material and Methods:
100 female (95%) and male (5%) nurses working in the medical ward (30%), surgical ward (30%), postoperative ward (20%) and intensive therapy ward (20%) of the Independent Public Central Teaching Hospital in Warsaw. Mean age: 32.76 (median: 28, SD: 9.11), mean length of work: 10.12 (median: 4.5, SD: 10.11). Higher education: 86% of respondents. Voluntary, anonymous questionnaire survey, own questionnaire, 19 open and closed, single or multiple choice questions. Statistical analysis: STATISTICA 10.0 (Medical University of Warsaw license), nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test, α < 0.05.

Results:
In the study group 51% of the respondents assessed their level of knowledge of PRs as good. The Charter of the Patient’s Rights was the most frequently indicated (83%) source of knowledge of PRs, over 80% of the respondents expressed the will to gain and extend their knowledge of PRs. The place of employment was of crucial importance for nursing practice regarding the provision of information on the patient’s rights: the right to access to medical documentation (p < 0.010), the right to informed consent (p < 0.005), the right to information (p < 0.048).

Conclusions:
1. In the study group, the level of knowledge of the patient’s rights was insufficient and needs being complemented irrespective of the place of work.
2. In the study group, the place of work did not have a significant impact on the level of knowledge of the patient’s rights while being of essential significance for the patient’s rights-related nursing practice.
3. The nursing staff studied assessed the knowledge of PRs as useful and was interested in extending their knowledge of the subject. Particular attention should therefore be given to the subject in the education of nursing students as well as in postgraduate nursing education.

Keywords:

Patient’s rights, nursing staff, hospital wards.