Actions speak louder than words: Correlation between cancer patients' perceptions of rights implementation and...

Patient rights form the foundation of healthcare delivery, guiding practitioners in supporting patients through their challenges. While these rights vary by country, they generally align with international standards, including informed consent, equitable access to care, and patient confidentiality. The current study aims to examine Iraqi cancer patients' perceptions of the actual implementation of their rights and their level of satisfaction with the quality of nursing care, and then to find the relationship between perceptions and satisfaction, which has not been explored in previous studies prior to this study, especially in Iraq.

A correlational design was carried out targeting 380 Iraqi patients with cancer sourced from five hospitals across four Iraqi governorates. The data were collected via a structured questionnaire, which encompassed: Patients' Rights Perceptions Scale and Patient Satisfaction with Nursing Care Quality Questionnaire-Arabic. The data analysis was performed utilizing nonparametric statistics. The study took place between December 1, 2024, and February 4, 2025.

The results showed that the overall assessment of cancer patients' perceptions of the actual implementation of their rights was excellent, and their satisfaction with the quality of nursing care was high. In addition, the relationship between perceptions and satisfaction was a weak positive relationship, as Spearman's ρ =0.392, P = 0.000.

Cancer patients' rights were well-respected within Iraqi healthcare institutions, a practice that was clearly reflected in the quality of nursing care delivered. Furthermore, a significant correlation existed between the actual application of cancer patients' rights and their satisfaction with the nursing care quality. These findings underscore the importance of upholding patient rights as a critical factor in enhancing the overall nursing care experience.