Doctors' knowledge of patients' rights at King Fahd Hospital of the University.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the level of physicians' knowledge about the contents of patients' bill of rights (PBR) and its implementation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out at a university hospital in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. All physicians working in the hospital received a self-administered questionnaire to measure their level of knowledge of PBR. Scoring was done to determine the knowledge of the details. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University Hospital and permission sought from the administration. Data analysis performed with SPSS; descriptive analyses included frequency and percentages for categorical variables, and mean and standard deviations for continuous variables. Bivariate analyses were carried out to determine association between sociodemographic variables and the level of knowledge (adequate/inadequate). Logistic regression analysis were performed to calculate adjusted odds ratio at 0.05 significance level.

RESULTS: Most (52.7%) of the physicians were females, were aged between 25 and 30 years (58.5%), and Saudi (80.2%). The majority of the physicians belonged to the residency program (44.9%) and had work experience of 1-5 years (45.4%). About 44% physicians had adequate knowledge about PBR and 55.56% had inadequate knowledge. Regarding physician's response to each item of PBR, the majority (98.1%) gave correct answer to Item 2: "Patients should know the identity and professional status of the healthcare providers responsible for their treatment" (98.1%). Item 25: "Doctors are entitled to withhold any procedures related to a patient's condition if the patient refuses their choice of treatment" was the item with the least correct response (15.5%).

CONCLUSION: Reinforcement and strict implementation of PBR are necessary. The institution should provide training and motivate physicians, especially younger doctors regarding PBR to ensure good health for all and safeguard the integrity of both the physician and the hospital.