Patient rights encompass a set of entitlements that should be safeguarded or asserted by
individuals receiving medical care. These rights include the following:

1. The right to receive quality medical care.
2. The right to freedom of choice.
3. The right to self-determination.
4. Rights of unconscious patients.
5. Rights of legally incompetent patients.
6. Rights regarding medical procedures against a patient’s will.
7. The right to information.
8. The right to confidentiality.
9. The right to receive health education.
10. The right to dignity.
11. The right to religious support.

These rights were formalized in the “World Medical Association Lisbon Declaration on the Rights of Patients” in 1981, with partial amendments made in 1995.In response to this, countries worldwide are developing laws and guidelines regarding patient rights, focusing on the right to informed self-determination, the right to a second opinion, the right to request information disclosure, privacy protection, and the freedom to choose or refuse treatment.

Every person is inherently entitled to fundamental human rights. However, due to the highly specialized nature of health care professionals, patients were often in a passive position, making it difficult for them to exercise their rights such as the right to self-determination. In order to obtain desirable outcomes, patients themselves must take the initiative to participate in medical care due to changes in the disease structure centered on chronic diseases. Additionally, with the increased awareness of human rights and rising concerns about life-sustaining treatment during the terminal stage, it is important to clarify once again and respect patients’ rights.

• Annas, G. J. (2007). Patient’s rights: For the realization of patient-oriented and safe medical care (Tanida, N., Trans.). Akashi Shoten.
• Diekelmann, N. L. (Ed.). (2006). Nursing masterpiece series: When you hurt your patients: Power, oppression, and violence in healthcare (Horiuchi, S., Ed.). Elsevier Japan.
• Japanese Nursing Association. (2006). New edition: Basic responsibilities of nurses: Definitions and concepts, basic law, ethics. Japanese Nursing Association Publishing.