Safety, privacy and dignity perceived by admitted persons with mental illness in a tertiary psychiatric hospital

Abstract

Background: Mentally ill persons are more vulnerable than others to violation of rights related individual’s safety, privacy and dignity. Imperatively, perceived threats to safety, privacy and dignity may interfere with seeking hospital-based intervention. In this regard, the present study aims to explore the perceived safety, privacy, and dignity of persons with mental illnesses in a tertiary mental health facility. Materials and Methods: This study cross-sectional, descriptive research design was adopted and recruited 70 psychiatric inpatients using the purposive sampling technique. Quantitative data were collected through the semi-structured interview scheduled and the severity of the mental illness was measured with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Results: Majority (92.9%) did not report any perceived threats to safety, privacy and dignity. However, 70.0% did not know where to complaints if they had any concerns about admission procedure, treatment and care, attitude of the support team; 52.9% did not know about the informed consent before getting the admission; 82.9% reported that they did not received legal advice from the treating team. Conclusion: In a well-established tertiary mental health facility, perceived threats to safety, privacy and dignity may not be prominent. However, patients may still have some additional concerns that are related to the quality of care.