title: Education on human rights and healthcare: evidence from Serbia.
abstract: Ensuring and enforcing human rights in patient care are important to promote health and to provide quality and appropriate healthcare services. Therefore, continued medical education (CME) is essential for healthcare professionals to utilize their sphere of influence to affect change in healthcare practice. A total of 123 participants attended three CME courses. Course topics covered: (i) the areas of human rights and healthcare, (ii) rights, obligations and responsibilities of healthcare professionals in relation to human rights and the rights of patients, (iii) healthcare of vulnerable groups and (iv) access to essential medical services. Evaluation of the CME courses involved two components: evaluation of participants' performance and the participants' evaluation of the teaching process. The participants were assessed at the beginning and end of each course. Each of the courses was evaluated by the participants through a questionnaire distributed at the end of each course. Descriptive statistics was used for data interpretation. Knowledge of the healthcare professionals improved at the end of all the three courses. The participants assessed several aspects of the courses, including the course topics, educational methods, the course methods, organization, duration and dynamics as well as the physical environment and the technical facilities of the course, and rated each very highly. Our results corroborate the importance and necessity of courses to heighten awareness of the state of current healthcare and human rights issues to increase the involvement of healthcare professionals both locally and globally.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Social Medicine, Medical School Belgrade University, Dr Subotica 15, Belgrade 11000, Serbia.
authors.forename: Aleksandra Jovic
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Vranes
authors.affiliation: Institute of Social Medicine, Medical School Belgrade University, Dr Subotica 15, Belgrade 11000, Serbia.
authors.forename: Vesna Bjegovic
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Mikanovic
authors.affiliation: Institute of Social Medicine, Medical School Belgrade University, Dr Subotica 15, Belgrade 11000, Serbia.
authors.forename: Dejana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vukovic
authors.affiliation: Institute of Social Medicine, Medical School Belgrade University, Dr Subotica 15, Belgrade 11000, Serbia.
authors.forename: Bosiljka
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Djikanovic
authors.affiliation: Institute of Social Medicine, Medical School Belgrade University, Dr Subotica 15, Belgrade 11000, Serbia.
authors.forename: Momcilo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Babic
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006806:Human Rights / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D028701:Patient Rights; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012577:Schools, Medical; D055771:Serbia; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: continuing medical education; healthcare professionals; human rights; patient rights