Impact of planned teaching program on the attitude of nurses with regard to patient rights in two multispecialty teaching hospitals in India.

BACKGROUND: The attitude of nurses with regard to patients' rights bears greater influence on its practice in the health-care settings. As health-care organizations grow toward standardization, positive changes in the attitude of health-care professionals are demanding. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to assess the attitude of nurses with regard to patient rights in two teaching hospitals, to devise a training program on patient rights for nurses, and to compare the impact of training with regard to patient rights on the attitude of nurses in two teaching hospitals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This quasi-experimental study with one-group pre- and post-test research design for a sample of 200 nurses was carried out during the year 2017 at two multispecialty hospitals in India. The sample size was selected based on convenience sampling method. For the pretest, attitude was measured on a 5-point Likert scale through a questionnaire containing 27 items. Small-group teaching method was used to train nurses in groups of 8-10. Posttest was done through the same attitude questionnaire 1 week after the training program. RESULTS: In both the hospitals, the nurses had a favorable attitude toward patient rights before the training program; after training, majority of the nurses had the most favorable attitude toward patient rights. A statistically significant difference was observed in the attitude of nurses with regard to patient rights within the hospitals, before and after training nurses on patient rights (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Health-care organizations require developing planned teaching programs for nursing care professionals in order to influence their knowledge and attitude on patient rights. Their positive attitude toward patient rights leads to improved outcomes and effective nursing care practices.