Iranian Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine

Eugenics or the science of breeding humans is a movement based on biological concepts that advocate policies for improvement of the human population genetics. It has also served as a determinant factor and reference in many social disciplines including law and punishment during certain periods in history. In fact, based on eugenic policies, which were affirmed by biologists, health experts and physicians, many people were sentenced to elimination from the society’s gene pool and thereby underwent sexual sterilization. Such practices were approved by economists and jurists involved in the executive affairs of many countries as well. Publication of two separate journals about eugenics and the corresponding empirical data confirming the influence of genetics on behaviors along with the solidity of eugenics-related policies demonstrate the scientific significance of this movement in its heyday. This public legitimacy started to decline, however, after sterilization of tens of thousands of mentally or physically handicapped people by Nazi Germany and the ascending criticism on moral and scientific bases of eugenics, which almost led to the exclusion of the subject in public. In this essay, eugenic concepts, relevant policies and its legitimacy throughout history are discussed to provide a better outlook for adopting more effective strategies in public health policymaking

Observation of patients’ rights as a major component in defining the standards of clinical services can increase patient satisfaction and is an important indicator of health care quality. Since most hospital patients are admitted through the emergency department, this study was conducted to investigate the observance of patients’ rights in the emergency department of Nemazee Hospital during 2015.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 100 patients over a period of one month. Data were collected by a questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 21 and statistical tests including descriptive statistics and inferential analysis.

The mean of the patients’ age in this study was 54.4 ± 19.35. Based on our findings, the overall level of observing patients’ rights was 51%, while patients’ expectations were 93%. Moreover, there was a meaningful difference between observance of the patients’ rights and their expectations in all aspects based on the paired sample t-test (P<0.05). It was also established that age was one of the factors affecting observance of patients’rights (P<0.05).

In this study, observation of patients’ rights in the emergency department was at the intermediate level, while patients’ expectations were higher in comparison.

In order to promote patient satisfaction, it seems necessary to educate the personnel and medical students on patients’ rights by holding workshops, reducing the waiting time for receiving services, and establishing an order in the system based on the patient’s condition.