Evaluation of the Observance of the Charter of Rights of Patients with Mental Disorders from the Perspective of Nurses and Patients in Panj Azar Hospital in Gorgan in 2020

Background: One of the most essential indicators of quality evaluation of health services is to assess the status of patients' rights, especially in those with mental illness due to their physical and mental conditions, and how health care providers and recipients interact. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the observance of the Charter of Rights of Patients with Mental Disorders from the perspective of nurses and patients in Panj Azar Hospital in Gorgan in 2020. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in 2020 among 100 patients admitted to the Psychiatric Ward and 200 nurses working in the psychiatric ward selected by simple random sampling. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and a self-made questionnaire. Data were entered into SPSS version 18 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and independent t-test. Results: In this study, the results showed that the mean age of the subjects was 52.7 ± 22.4 years, and the highest age group of the study participants was 21 - 30 years. Overall, 196 (65.3%) participants were married, and 191 (63.7%) recommended others to return to this hospital. The mean scores of observance of the patient's charter from the nurses' and patients' points of view were 59.26 ± 6.26 and 57.98 ± 8.13, respectively. The subgroup with highest score was respect for the right to free choice and decision making in both groups. The level of compliance with the Charter of Patients' Rights was good and average from both nurses patients’ point of view. Furthermore, there was only a significant relationship between the views of nurses and patients in the subgroups of respect for patient privacy, compliance with the principle of confidentiality (P = 0.001), and access to an efficient grievance redressal system (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Overall, it is inferred that in most cases, nurses are aware of the extent of their compliance with their charter of rights, and from the patients' point of view, the level of compliance with the charter of patients was often moderate.