Iranian Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine

Respecting patients’ privacy leads to increased satisfaction among hospitalized patients and can accelerate the healing process and reduce hospitalization time. This study aimed to determine the level of respect for patient privacy in the teaching hospitals of Zanjan city during 2012. In this cross-sectional study 256 hospitalized patients were selected by multistage sampling and completed the study questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: the first part collected the participants’ demographic data and the second part examined the various aspects of patients’ physical privacy. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. The results showed that most of the samples (76.2%) were unaware of patients’ rights, and about half (49.2%) believed that their physical privacy was respected most of the time. Meanwhile, 56.3% of the patients declared that medical team members never closed the curtains during physical examinations and medical procedures. The mean score of observation of privacy was less for single patients (51.23 ± 14) compared to married patients (58.88 ± 13) (P <0.05). Based on our findings, most patients were not aware of their rights and some measures of physical privacy were not observed. Therefore, authorities must pay more attention to systematic planning in order to ensure that patients’ privacy is respected in all areas of health and education.