The Knowledge and Attitudes of the Physicians at Ondokuz Mayis University Medical Faculty on ‘Enlightened Approval’

Abstract

Enlightened Approval is defined as the acceptance of an intervention willingly by a patient after the physician fully explains what kind of an intervention it is, including its risks, its benefits and alternatives, and also risks and benefits of the alternatives. This research is done to determine the knowledge and attitudes of the physicians at Ondokuz Mayis University Medicine Faculty on Enlightened Approval within the frame of patient rights. 371 physicians working at Ondokuz Mayis University Medicine Faculty Research and Education Hospital between the dates of 01.03.2003-15.05.2003 participated in a survey on Enlightened Approval. In the survey, the physicians were asked questions such as their ages, sexes, their working years, their general knowledge about patient rights, their attitudes about Enlightened Approval, how much time they spend on their patients about enlightement and approval, and also whether they have ever lived a legal problem concerning these. Our research is across sectional survey and the data is evaluated as average ±standart error and frequency. Of the 371 physicians who participated in the survey, 72 (19.4%) were academic staff, 299 (80.6%) were research staff. The average of working years for the physicians was 7,7±0,3. 63.1% of those who participated in the survey were aware of a legal regulation in Turkey concerning patient rights. 35.8% of the physicians declared that they provide oral permission, 29.4% declared that they used issued documents arrenged by their own institutes and 1.1% declared that they didn't have any approval of any kind before the medical intervention. 15.9% of the physicians reported that they had experienced either an administrative or a legal problem in their previous medical applications. This research shows that, many of the physicians do not have sufficient knowledge about the legal necessities of the changing and developing patient, physician relationship in recent day and also about Enlightened Approval which is an essential element of this relationship. Regarding the fact that, patient rights in general and Enlightened Approval in particular will be much more important in the future within the process of the development of human rights in our country and throughout the world, the physicians should be informed and also educational studies and supervisions should be increased so that the physicians would develop a model for their attitudes.