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Assessment of Nursing Staff's Awareness of the Legal and Ethical Aspects of Nursing in Selected Hospitals in Tehran, with Emphasis on the Nursing Code of Ethics and the Patient Rights Charter
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AZADEH MOOSAPOOR1   , Mohammad Sarvestani2 |
1- M.A of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Department of Internal Medicine and Surgery, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahwaz, Iran. (Corresponding Author)
2- PHD in Private Law. |
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Abstract: (9 Views) |
Background and Aim: Nowadays, legal and ethical problems associated with patient care are increasing day by day. Therefore, nurses should have sufficient understanding of the fundamental legal and ethical concepts and issues related to the nursing profession in order to protect the rights of both patients and nurses. Achieving this objective can help prevent violations of patients’ rights and protect healthcare professionals from legal accountability. Given the importance and necessity of this issue, the present study aimed to investigate nurses’ awareness of the legal and ethical aspects related to patient management in selected hospitals in Tehran and the factors associated with such awareness.
Methods: This quantitative study was conducted in four public hospitals in Tehran, including Imam Hossein Hospital, Rasoul Akram Hospital, Milad Hospital, and Farabi Hospital. A purposive sampling method was employed. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: sociodemographic characteristics, awareness of ethical aspects, and awareness of legal aspects. After data collection, the variables were coded and entered into SPSS version 22. Descriptive analyses, including frequency and percentage, were used to describe the demographic characteristics of the participants. In addition, an independent-samples t-test was used to determine the relationship between participation in legal and ethical workshops related to patient care and nurses’ awareness of legal aspects associated with patient management. Furthermore, Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationship between nurses’ awareness of legal aspects and their awareness of ethical aspects related to patient management.
Conclusion: The findings of the study indicated that individuals who encountered legal and ethical problems were, in the absence of clear and codified laws specifying penalties and punishments for violations of these two important areas, merely subjected to written reprimands. This may lead such individuals to underestimate the seriousness of these reprimands and consequently fail to comply with the legal and ethical aspects of patient management in the future. Therefore, it is recommended that specific legislation be developed to determine appropriate penalties for healthcare professionals who fail to comply with the Patient Rights Charter and the Nursing Code of Ethics, and that workshops on the observance of legal and ethical principles in nursing and patient management be conducted. |
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Article number: 2 |
| Keywords: Nursing Staff Awareness, Legal and Ethical Aspects, Nursing Code of Ethics, Patient Rights Charter. |
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Full-Text [PDF 725 kb]
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Type of Study: Applicable |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/12/15 | Revised: 2026/08/20 | Accepted: 2026/04/19 | Published: 2026/09/23
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