Learning Objective #1: Express the lived experience of Persian patients related to patients' rights

Learning Objective #2: Identify the cultural differences between Persian patients' experiences about patients' rights with other countries' patients

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Patient's rights is still an ambiguous concept in Iran for both the health care providers and the patients alike. The importance of improved communication with patients and their full involvement in developing the bill of patients' rights has been emphasized by the World Health Organization. In the view of this requirement a number of semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted in selected teaching hospitals in Tehran in the period of March to July 2004. The findings highlighted certain common themes. These themes are similar to those recommended by WHO in 1999 and adopted by patients' charters in a wide range of Western countries. Nevertheless, these requirements need to be adapted for each country to make them applicable to its cultural context. The main themes which have emerged from the analysis of transcribed interviews in this study included; provision of fair and equal access to health care for all, respect for patient's dignity and that of their family, full information regarding their diagnosis and openness of the pending medical procedures, availability of the required medication and the basic medical equipment in the hospital where they are admitted.