Investigating Awareness of Patient Rights and Responsibilities Among Outpatients in a Tertiary Hospital Environment

The healthcare sector in India exhibits considerable diversity, catering to a wide range of societal segments. The country's health system is characterized by a mix of public and private providers, encompassing primary health centers to tertiary hospitals in the public sector and informal individual practitioners to globally recognized healthcare institutions in the private sector. This also includes healthcare services operated by non-governmental organizations and for-profit hospitals owned by individuals, partnerships, and corporate entities. The overall healthcare expenditure in the country was approximately 2.2% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the FY (2022), constituting 2% of the total government expenditure of the total health spending. International evidence regarding healthcare spending suggests that unless a country allocates at least 5 to 6% of its GDP to health, with a significant portion coming from government expenditure, basic healthcare needs are often inadequately addressed. A notable trend in the healthcare sector is the increasing prevalence of multispecialty hospitals and specialty clinics. Additionally, diverse business strategies are being explored, including the establishment of hospital chains and alliances. Providers from metropolitan cities are strategically expanding into tier II and tier III cities. Moreover, there is experimentation with asset-light and capital-intensive business models Statistical analyses, including descriptive and inferential methods using SPSS, were applied to compare data from the two hospital settings. The quantitative data analysis demonstrates whether the awareness of patients in the outpatient care of a single specialty hospital differs from that in a tertiary hospital. Demographic factors such as age, education, and Gender are examined to comprehend their impact on patient awareness in each context. The findings underscore the importance of tailoring patient education strategies based on the unique characteristics of healthcare facilities. The implementation of context-specific improvements in education can contribute to a more informed and empowered patient population, fostering patient-centered care across diverse healthcare settings.