title: Awareness and practice of patient's rights law in Lithuania.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patient's rights law is intended to secure good medical practice, but it can also serve to improve understanding between patients and medical staff if both were aware of their rights.
  
  
  METHODS
  Awareness and practice of the new patient's rights law in Lithuanian health care institutions was explored through a survey of 255 medical staff and 451 patients in the four Kaunas city medical units in 2002. Participation rates were 74% and 66%, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Majority of the medical staff (85%) and little over one half of the patients (56%) had heard or read about the Law on Patient's Rights (p < 0.001). Only 50% of professionals compared to 69% of patients thought information for patients about diagnosis, treatment results and alternative treatments is necessary (p < 0.001). A clear discrepancy was indicated between physicians informing the patients (80%-98% of physicians) and patients actually knowing (37%-54%) their treatment prognosis, disease complications or possible alternative treatment methods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest a need for awareness-raising among patients to improve the practical implementation of the Patient's Rights Law in Lithuania.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Faculy of Public Health, Kaunas University of Medicine, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Danute
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ducinskiene
authors.forename: Jurgita
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vladickiene
authors.forename: Ramune
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kalediene
authors.forename: Irja
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Haapala
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D030881:Disclosure; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008097:Lithuania; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D028701:Patient Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*