Responsive patient care in Israel: A qualitative study of hospital rules and regulations

Hospital rules and regulations can contribute to standardizing care, streamlining processes, and improving the quality of care. Over the past decade, hospitals in Israel have introduced written rules and regulations for staff that provide guidance on quality control, patient safety, and the patient-provider relationship. This study aimed to explore how these written guidelines, when implemented, can promote responsive care for inpatients. Using a thematic analysis, the study analyzed the content of staff guidelines from six Israeli hospitals. The analysis found that hospital rules and regulations provide similar, relatively precise instructions with regard to improving the responsiveness to and dignity of care of patients. The guidelines address three essential aspects of responsiveness - disclosing medical information and respecting the patients’ autonomy and physical space. The guidelines highlight that healthcare providers should implement security measures to safeguard medical information, respect patients' autonomy, involve patients in decision-making, and provide adequate physical space to maintain their privacy and modesty. The guidelines contribute to ensuring patients’ legal and ethical rights. Policymakers should consider introducing and implementing the dimensions of responsiveness that were stressed by Israeli hospitals' rules and regulations. Further research is needed to confirm the relevance of the various rules and regulations for improving the quality of care provided to patients.