Patients’ silence towards the healthcare system after ethical transgressions by staff : associations with patient characteristics in a cross-sectional study among Swedish female patients

• Objectives: To identify which patient characteristics are associated with silence towards the healthcare system after experiences of abusive or ethically wrongful transgressive behaviour by healthcare staff.Design: Cross-sectional questionnaire study using the Transgressions of Ethical Principles in Health Care Questionnaire.Setting: A women's clinic in the south of Sweden.Participants: Selection criteria were: consecutive female patients coming for an outpatient appointment, ≥18-year-old, with the ability to speak and understand the Swedish language, and a known address.Questionnaires were answered by 534 women (60%) who had visited the clinic, of which 293 were included in the present study sample.Primary outcome measure: How many times the respondent remained silent towards the healthcare system relative to the number of times the respondent spoke up.Results: Associations were found between patients’ silence towards the healthcare system and young age as well as lower self-rated knowledge of patient rights. Both variables showed independent effects on patients’ silence in a multivariate model. No associations were found with social status, country of birth, health or other abuse.Conclusions: The results offer opportunities for designing interventions to stimulate patients to speak up and open up the clinical climate, for which the responsibility lies in the hands of staff; but more research is needed.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Medicinsk etik (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Medical Ethics (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Medicine

Vårdvetenskap

Caring Science

MEDICINE

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