Codification of the psychiatric patients rights charter in Iran

Because people with mental disorders are a vulnerable section of society, the knowledge and awareness about their rights is necessary. In the present study, the first phase conducted through literature review and in the second phase, the Delphi technique was used. In the initial stage after extraction of primary codes consisting of 5 main axes and 38 sub clause codes, fifteen psychiatrists and 15 adult patients or their executors, 15 nurses or psychiatric nurses, 10 physicians with jurists and 10 clinical psychologists were assigned to receive comments, amendments and suggestions and they asked for comments and corrections. In the implementation of Delphi second line, ethical codes were reformed and made as a questionnaire. Subsequently, with the opinion of the professors and consultants of the ethical charter, the final version was formulated in five main axes. The final charter with five main axes includes receiving optimal quality psychiatric services, obtaining the necessary information as desired, the right to choose and freely decide the patient in receiving psychiatric services, respecting the privacy of the patient, and observing the principle of secrecy and awareness and access to effective authorities were approved to handle patient claims in the field of psychiatric treatment and 40 codes were approved. The codification of the psychiatric patients' rights charter and its knowledge can have a positive effect on the observance of the rights of these patients and improve patients' relations with therapists