Purpose Patient right is the most important ethical right in the hospital, which equally, belongs to every human kind. Observance of patient right is responsibility of all treatment staff when they offer treatment and care for patient. This study aims to investigate observance of patients’ rights in emergency department of educational hospitals in south-east Iran. Design/methodology/approach This study used a cross-sectional design and was conducted in four educational hospitals affiliated with the Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2018. Using a two-section standard questionnaire of Patients’ Rights Charter, this study assessed patients’ rights observance using a census method, N = 382. The data from the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviations and analytic statistics such as Kolmogorov – Smirnov, ANOVA, t-test and Pearson test using SPSS 21. Findings Means of total score for observing all essentials of patients’ rights in emergency department of educational hospitals were at a moderate level (43.10 ±15.05) from the viewpoint of patients. The area of “providing health services based on respecting patient’s privacy and observing the essentials of secrecy and confidentiality” enjoying the highest mean score (86.89 ± 24.39), was at a good level compared to other areas. The area of “having access to effective complaint management system” showed the lowest mean score (23/85 ± 23/07) from the participants’ perspective proving a poor level. Between the patient rights observance and gender, education level, resident status and duration of hospitalization, a significant relationship was observed. Originality/value As regarded in this study, the degree of patients’ rights observance was moderate so, culture, paying attention to the rights of all stakeholders, identifying barriers and various factors, including the professional and environmental differences in the assessment of the need, should be considered by policymakers to design promotional and regulatory programs for improving the rights of the patient.

BACKGROUND: Ethical attitude of paramedic personnel is one of the most important factors in their effective and useful performance. Therefore, according to the importance of this issue and immense effect of religious culture on the formation of ethics, this study aimed to effect bio-ethical principles teaching on moral attitude of paramedic emergency personnel in Iran. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The present study was an experimental study carried out in 2020 on 60 of paramedic emergency personnel. Samples were available, randomly selected and assigned to two groups of control and intervention. The intervention was performed for a 2-h workshop of bioethical principles in 4 day based on Quran verses. Moral attitude of both groups was studied before and after each intervention. Data were analyzed using Kolmogorov–Simonov, Chi-square, t -test, one-way, and paired t -test with SPSS version 16 ( P ≤ 0/05). RESULTS: Ethical attitude means for both groups of control and intervention demonstrated that ethical attitude has meaningfully increased after the workshop. Demographic variables such as age, gender, and work experience of participants in workshops were not different between these two groups ( P < 0/05). The study of these two groups showed that there is no relationship among work experience, gender, marital status, age, and ethical attitude. CONCLUSION: Prehospital emergency is quite different from the other occupations in health-care system and the ethical issues of this field are more important. Therefore, teaching in workplace and through ethical principles based on religious teachings will have a profound effect on improving biological ethics of paramedic prehospital staffs.

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