BMJ 1994;308:997 (16 April)

News

Europe backs new declaration on patients' rights

T Sheldon 

Thirty six European nations have unanimously endorsed a common framework of principles for promoting patients' rights. The Declaration on the Promotion of Patients' Rights in Europe comes out of a consultation held in Amsterdam by the World Health Organisation's Europe office. Representatives from two patients' groups from Britain voted for the declaration, although a Department of Health spokesperson said later: "We will wait for the WHO report, then consider it."

The endorsed principles draw heavily on recent legislation in the Netherlands and in some details surpass those in Britain's patient's charter. Included are such rights as the deletion and correction of inaccurate or ambiguous medical records; the right to be chosen for treatment on the basis of medical criteria, and the right to be informed with a minimum of "unfamiliar technical terminology." The declaration is not legally binding but it is intended to have a "moral authority" which will . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Patients' rights in the Netherlands
J W W Coebergh, D E Grobbee, and J P Vandenbroucke
BMJ 1994 309: 542. [Extract] [Full Text]

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Coebergh, J W W, Grobbee, D E, Vandenbroucke, J P (1994). Patients' rights in the Netherlands. BMJ 309: 542a-542 [Full text]  
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