Research on health awareness in Poland sheds new light on how Poles perceive access to information on preventive health care, knowledge of patient rights and the ability to find appropriate resources and institutions. The worrying results point to the need for increased health education and access to information in key areas.
Insufficient information on health prevention programmes
In a survey with 1182 respondents, as many as 73.37% participants expressed negative views on access to information on health prevention programmes in Poland. Only a small proportion of respondents (16.84%) agreed that access to this information was sufficient. This clearly shows that there is a significant lack of access to important health information. This insufficient awareness of preventive health care not only limits the ability of individuals to choose appropriate preventive measures, but may also lead to uninformed health risks.
These data present Poland with the challenge of increasing access to preventive health care information for different social groups. Given that the vast majority of those surveyed do not have access to this relevant data, it becomes clear that specific actions must be taken. These could be educational campaigns, training programmes or online platforms providing reliable information. The need to understand and utilise preventive health measures in everyday life is crucial for the overall health of the population, and a lack of this can lead to neglect and potential health problems on a larger scale.
Worrying level of knowledge regarding patients' rights
The survey showed that as many as 82.58% respondents disagreed with the statement that Poles have sufficient knowledge of patient rights. Only 10.21% participants agreed with this statement. These results highlight that patient rights education remains inadequate and understanding and knowledge of these rights is critically low. Unawareness of one's rights can lead to patients not taking advantage of the legal protection available to them, or not reporting violations of their rights. This in turn can lead to abuse and inappropriate treatment of patients by the healthcare system.
The response to these results should include an integrated approach to patient rights education at different levels of society. Educational campaigns are needed to provide clear and understandable information on patient rights, both in healthcare facilities and in the media. In addition, patient rights institutions should be more accessible and proactive in educating the public. Improving awareness of patients' rights will not only increase the public's trust in the healthcare system, but also enable patients to actively participate in the treatment process, which can lead to better health outcomes. Integrating patient rights education with general health education may prove to be the key to building a more informed and healthy society.
Understanding where to find information on patient rights
Although the results showed that 53.61% respondents agreed that they knew where to find information about patient rights, 30.40% participants disagreed with this statement. This shows mixed feelings in the public regarding access to relevant resources and information. Furthermore, the result suggests that there is some diversity in access to information, which may be due to regional, educational or technological differences. Whether the available resources are clear and understandable enough to be used effectively by the general public is also an important issue.
Although more than half of the respondents claim to know where to find information on patient rights, the lack of this knowledge in the remaining respondents is a challenge that needs to be addressed. Educating the public should not only target those who are already aware of their rights, but also those who may have difficulty accessing relevant resources. This may require a differentiated approach, such as creating information campaigns tailored to different age groups, regional communities or groups with different levels of education. Ensuring that all patients are aware of their rights and know where to find the right information is key to the smooth functioning of the healthcare system and increasing public trust in health institutions.
Knowledge of where to report a complaint about a violation of patient rights
Finally, 52,76% of the survey participants agreed that they knew where to report a complaint about a violation of patient rights, while 30,99% disagreed with this statement. These results suggest that while a certain proportion of the population is aware of where to report rights violations, there is also a significant number of people who do not have this knowledge. This problem may be complex and involve a number of factors, such as lack of education, regional differences in access to information, and lack of trust in the reporting system. It is necessary to understand why this knowledge gap exists in order to be able to minimise it accordingly.
Addressing this problem may require a coordinated effort from health institutions, NGOs and government. Initiating and promoting patient rights education campaigns and whistleblowing mechanisms, tailored to different groups in society, can significantly contribute to raising awareness. It is also important that the reporting process is transparent and easily accessible, and that reports are treated with due seriousness and empathy. Only then will patients feel confident enough to be willing to report violations of their rights. A long-term commitment to this can lead to greater public confidence in the healthcare system and ensure that patient rights are not just written on paper, but are also effectively respected and enforced in practice.
Summary
The results show that there is a clear lack of health awareness in Poland, especially in terms of access to information on preventive health care and patient rights. They point to an urgent need to increase health education and facilitate access to relevant information. Investment in health education, information campaigns and the availability of online resources may be the key to increasing health awareness in the population.