Patient Autonomy in Health Care Decisions

Abstract

Background: Patient autonomy means patient engagement and involvement in decision making process in medical care, with respect towards their choices over treatment methods, infra structure facilities, financial package, physician responsible for the treatment, participation in hospital research, expert opinion etc. Right to choose is a human right guaranteed as consumers of medical service.

Objectives: The plan of the research is to search the hospitalized patients’ knowledge in right to choose including their practicing behaviour in health care decisions.

Material & Methods: A questionnaire used among hospitalized patients for collection of data. Data on demographic variables, health care details, patient knowledge and practicing behaviour on right to choose in their health care medical treatment collected. For doing analysis SPSS Version 20.0 used.

Result: Result shows patient knowledge on right to choice and make decisions in health care is at moderate level and their practicing behaviour of right to choose in health care decisions is at a very low level.

Conclusion: Study reveals the knowledge and practice by patients’ of their right to choose by participating in health care decisions remain limited. There is an urgent need for implementation of integrated patient rights centered approach to strengthen patients’ right issues in hospitals.