Operationalization of the Ghanaian Patients’ Charter in a Peri-urban Public Hospital: Voices of Healthcare Workers and Patients

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Public Administration and Health Services Management, Business School, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

Abstract

Background
Health is a basic human right necessary for the exercise of other human rights. Every human being is, therefore, entitled to the highest possible standard of health necessary to living a life of dignity. Establishment of patients’ Charter is a step towards protecting the rights and responsibilities of patients, but violation of patients’ rights is common in healthcare institutions, especially in the developing world. This study which was conducted between May 2013 and May 2014, assessed the operationalization of Ghana’s Patients Charter in a peri-urban public hospital.
 
Methods
Qualitative data collection methods were used to collect data from 25 healthcare workers and patients who were purposively selected. The interview data were analyzed manually, using the principles of systematic text condensation.
 
Results
The findings indicate that the healthcare staff of the Polyclinic are aware of the existence of the patients’ Charter and also know some of its contents. Patients have no knowledge of the existence or the contents of the Charter. Availability of the Charter, community sensitization, monitoring and orientation of staff are factors that promote the operationalization of the Charter, while institutional implementation procedures such as lack of complaint procedures and low knowledge among patients militate against operationalization of the Charter.
 
Conclusion
Public health facilities should ensure that their patients are well-informed about their rights and responsibilities to facilitate effective implementation of the Charter. Also, patients’ rights and responsibilities can be dramatized and broadcasted on television and radio in major Ghanaian languages to enhance awareness of Ghanaians on the Charter.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Full Text

"Watch the Video Summary"

References

  1. World Bank. World Development Report 2002: Building Institutions for Markets. New York: Oxford University Press; 2002.
  2. Starfield B. Promoting equity in health through research and understanding. Developing World Bioeth, 2004;14(4):76-95. doi:10.1111/j.1471-8731.2004.00068.x
  3. Dowie JA. Valuing the benefits of health improvement. Australian Economic Papers. 1970;9:21-41.
  4. World Health Organization (WHO). Promotion of the rights of patients in Europe. http://www.who.int/genomics/public/eu_declaration1994.pdf. Published 1995.
  5. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). G.A. Res. 217A (III). http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html. Accessed May 12, 2013. Published 1948.
  6. London L. What Can Human Rights Do for Health and Health Equity in South Africa? Crit Health Perspect. 2005;1:1-3.
  7. Smith V, and Godfrey NS. Being a good nurse and doing the right thing: A qualitative study. Nurs Ethics. 2002;9(3):301-312. doi:10.1191/0969733002ne512oa
  8. Silver MH. Patients’ rights in England and United States of America: The patients’ charter and the New Jersey Patient Bill of Rights: a comparison. J Med Ethics. 1997;23(4):213-220. doi:10.1136/jme.23.4.213
  9. Health Professions Council of South Africa.National Patients’ Rights Charter. Booklet 3, Pretoria; 2008.
  10. Federal Republic of Nigeria. Nigeria’s 4th Periodic Country Report: 2008-2010 on the Implementation of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights in Nigeria. The Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja; 2008.
  11. Rider ME, Makela CJ. A comparative analysis of patients’ rights: an international perspective. International Journal of Consumer Studies. 2003;27( 4):302-315. doi:10.1046/j.1470-6431.2003.00319.x
  12. Changole J, Bandawe C, Makanani B, et al. Patients’ satisfaction with reproductive health services at Gogo chatinkha Maternity unit Blantyre, Malawi. Malawi Med J. 2010;22(1):5-6. doi:10.4314/mmj.v22i1.55899
  13. Zülfikar F, Ulusoy MF. Are patients aware of their rights? A Turkish study. Nurs Ethics. 2001;8(6):487-98.
  14. Büken NO, Büken,E. Emerging health sector problems affecting patients’ rights in Turkey. Nurs Ethics. 2004;11(6):610-624. doi:10.1191/0969733004ne742oa
  15. Albishi AA. The Saudi patients’, physicians’, and nurses’ perceptions of and lived experiences with patients’ rights in Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study [Doctoral Dissertation]. George Manson University; 2004.
  16. Ghana Health Service. The Patients’ Charter. Accra, Ghana Health Service; 2002.
  17. Ghana Health Service. (2012). Report on clinical care quality assurance conference, Accra, Ghana.
  18. Abekah-Nkrumah G, Manu A, Atinga AR. Assessing the implementation of Ghana’s Patient Charter. Health Educ.2010;110(3):169-185. doi:10.1108/09654281011038840
  19. Royal Health Organisation (ROHEO). Clients and health staff lack knowledge in patients charter. http://www.newsghana.com.gh/clients-and-health-staff-lack-knowledge-in-patients-charter/. Accessed August 19, 2013.
  20. Vuković M, Gvozdenović BS, Stamatović-Gajić B, Ilić M, Gajić T. Development and evaluation of the nurse quality of communication with patient questionnaire. Srpski Arhiv za Celokupno Lekarstvo, 2010;138(1-2):79-84
  21. Topping, A. Qualitative perspectives. Nurse Researcher. 2006;13(4):4-6.
  22. Burns T, Catty J, White S, et al. Continuity of care in mental health: understanding and measuring a complex phenomenon. Psychol Med. 2009;39:313-323. doi:10.1017/s0033291708003747
  23. Lincoln YS, Guba EG. Naturalistic Inquiry. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publishers; 1985.
  24. Brink H. Fundamentals of Research Methodology for Health Care Professionals. Cape Town: Juta and Company Ltd; 2006.
  25. Wolf ZR. Exploring the Audit Trail for Qualitative Investigations. Nurse Educator. 2003;28(4):175-178. doi:10.1097/00006223-200307000-00008
  26. Malterud K. Shared Understanding of the Qualitative Research Process. Guidelines for the Medical Researcher. Family Practice. 1993;10(2):201-206. doi:10.1093/fampra/10.2.201
  27. Changole JC, Bandawe B, Makanani K, Nkanaunena F, Taulo EM, Kafulafula G. Patients’ satisfaction with reproductive health services at Gogochatinkha Maternity Unit Blantyre, Malawi. Malawi Med J. 2010;22(1):5-6. doi:10.4314/mmj.v22i1.55899
  28. Rider ME, Makela CJ. A comparative analysis of patients’rights: an international perspective. International Journal of Consumer Studies.  2003;27(4):302-315. doi:10.1046/j.1470-6431.2003.00319.x
  29. Matland RE. (Synthesizing the implementation literature: The ambiguity- conflict model of policy implementation. J Public Adm Res Theory. 1995;5(2):145-174.
  30. Steinmetz D, Tabenkin H. The difficult patient as perceived by family physicians. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2011.
  31. UN Human Rights Council. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Right of Everyone to the Enjoyment of the Highest Attainable Standard of Physical and Mental Health, Paul Hunt: addendum: Missions to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. (20 October 2006) and Uganda (4-7 February 2007). http://www.refworld.org/docid/47da904c2.html. Accessed June 23, 2015.
  32. Barrera CR, Negron CP, Barria M, Mendez CA. Rights and Duties Policy Implementation in Chile: Healthcare Professionals' Perceptions. Health Expectat. 2015. doi:10.1111/hex.12396
International Journal of Health Policy and Management
Volume 5, Issue 9
September 2016
Pages 525-533

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics