Nurses’ attitudes and knowledge regarding patient rights: a systematic review

Abstract

Objective: To synthesize current evidence on nurses’ attitudes and/or knowledge onthe entire spectrum of patient rights. Method: A systematic search of the literaturewas performed in Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and CINAHL. Studies wereselected according to pre-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria. The Cochrane andPRISMA guidelines, including templates for systematic reviews, were applied. For rigorassessment, the Critical Appraisal Skills Program Qualitative Research Checklist, andthe Center for Evidence-Based Management tool were employed. Results: Thirteenstudies were included, that exhibited important methodological limitations, such asconvenience sampling, mediocre response rates and inadequate instrument validity.Findings indicated: a) low level of awareness regarding patient rights among nurses, b)knowledge discrepancies on specific aspects of patient rights, c) low priority ascribed to apatient’s right to access information, and d) insufficient evidence on formal educationalsources of knowledge on the topic of patient rights. Conclusion: Narrow geographicallocalization, heterogeneity and methodological limitations render generalizability of theconclusions difficult. Further research based on robust methodology is proposed