Comparison of Urban and Rural Respondents' Experience and Opinion of Ethical Issues in Medical Care

Ninety-four urban and 54 rural respondents who had undergone hospitalisation in the previous three years were interviewed using a semistructured interview schedule to ascertain their experiences and opinion regarding ethical issues. The interview focussed particularly on patients' satisfaction and expectations about information pro vided by medical professionals on various aspects of their illness. Results revealed that both the groups were satisfied with the amount of information they had received during their hospitalisation. Rural respondents were comparatively less satisfied with the information they received regarding complications of illness, possible side effects/complications of treatment, and nature of investigations. A higher proportion of urban respondents required information about other available treatment options and possible outcome of illness if left untreated. A higher number of urban respondents felt that provision of information about illness may have harmful consequences to the patient, and more frequently reported that receiving information was the patient's right. These results suggest that although both urban and rural respondents were sensitive to ethical issues, the response of urban respondents from developing coun tries is more akin to that of their counterparts in the developed countries.