Patient’s View about the Protection of Privacy by Healthcare Practitioners in Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Qom, Iran

Abstract

Abstract Background & Aims: Privacy is considered a fundamental value and one of the essential human rights that is closely with normative values, attitudes, beliefs and moral principles. Therefore, protection of patients' privacy as primary and ethical principles should be considered with all the physicians, nurses and caregivers. The study aimed to investigate the viewpoint of patients to the protection of privacy by health care practitioners of Shahid Beheshti hospital, Qom, Iran. Material & Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted on 462 patients hospitalized in Shahid Beheshti hospital of Qom, Iran. Subjects were selected by convenient sampling method. Data collection was the privacy questionnaire. Data analyzed using the Chi-Square، ANOVA and t- test. Results: The results of this study showed that the protection of patients' privacy was inappropriate in 19.3%, in the 48.2% was moderate and in the 32.5% was appropriate. Conclusion: According to the viewpoint of the most patients, the protection of privacy was moderate. Therefore, in order to increase the trust and satisfaction of patients and improving the provided services, the privacy of patients should be given more attention.

Keywords

• confidentiality
• privacy
• patient
• patient rights