Knowledge of Patient’s Health Rights among Medical Students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 2020 – A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Saudi Arabia aims to affirm the basic human rights for all its citizens. The medical students need to be aware about globally recognized rights in their study and career. Only few studies have measured the knowledge of medical students about public health rights (PBR) in Saudi Arabia. The present study aims to assess the current knowledge of medical students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia concerning health empowerment issues and health rights. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia among the medical students of Ibn Sina National College (ISNC), Batterjee Medical College (BMC), King Abdul-Aziz University (KAU) and King Saud bin Abdul-Aziz University (KSAUHS) Jeddah branch, between July and August 2020. Questionnaire was used to collect demographic data, along with knowledge of the rights of female patients, laws and rights of patients with disabilities, special needs and senility, reproductive health rights, and health rights of cancer patients. The data were analyzed using statistical package of social science (SPSS) version 25. Results: Of the 393 participants, 58.3% were females and 41.7% were males. Regarding consent, 72.3% and 65.1% of the participants responded that a male guardian was not required to give consent for hospital admission and discharge, respectively, and only 46.1% knew that a female patient could provide consent for a caesarean section. Only 51.7% of the students were aware about Saudi Arabian health rights including the disabled individuals; while, 44.0% did not know. About half (53.2%) knew that that special needs patients have health rights, and 25.2% believed that abortion is never allowed in Islam. Concerning the woman’s right to attain contraception, 51.1% stated that the consent was not required; while, 25.7% responded that consent from a male guardian/partner is first required. Approximately half (49.6%) were aware that cancer patients have the right to free medical treatment, and 52.9% knew that cancer patients have the right to free surgical treatment. Conclusions: The knowledge of medical students regarding health rights of certain patient populations was not satisfactory in Saudi Arabia, which highlights the importance of health rights education in medical school. Trial registration: 95/IRB/2020