MAINTAINING PATIENT DIGNITY

Maintaining Patient Dignity

Maintaining Patient Dignity

Nursing may be the most familiar health professional group in the world, second only to physicians. Nurses far outnumber all other groups of health workers, with an estimated 12 million nurses working worldwide. Women constitute the overwhelming majority of nurses, with estimates ranging from 89 to 97 percent in countries of the global north. Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and population. (Lorin 2002, 529-555)

The human care that is given to persons receiving should be framed in the knowledge theoretical-practical nurse, to identify any adverse reaction may occur in the sick person before, during and after administration showed a theoretical and practical ignorance of the clinical action. This study had as purpose to "build and transform the theoretical and practical knowledge of nursing care”. (Morrison 2006, 1993-1999)

A qualitative research was conducted in Taiwan regarding maintaining the patients' dignity

Grounded theory

In the light of this article the grounded theory is defined dignity as a core concept in nursing care and maintaining patients' dignity is critical to their recovery. In Western countries, measures to maintain dignity in patients' care include maintaining privacy of the body, providing spatial privacy, giving sufficient time, treating patients as a whole person and allowing patients to have autonomy. However, this is an under-studied topic in Asian countries. (Van 1997, 590-599)

Improving the rights of patients and maintaining their dignity have been stated as the objectives of the World Health Organization. Respect for human rights and maintaining dignity are also defined as ethical goals of nursing care that not differ due to patient age, race, religion, gender or political, illness or disability, economic and social situation. (Matiti 2002, 120- 135)

Phenomenology 

Most participants mentioned the respect and privacy when describing how they maintained the dignity in patient care, similar to the findings of studies conducted in Western countries. The nurses in this study indicate that patients should be respected clinical practice include respect for patient autonomy, treat them as whole persons, in honor of their beliefs and culture, and describe and explain the care that can give informed consent. (Baillie 2009, 23-36)

The latter result is reflected in related studies indicate that explanations of nurses' disease related information is a measure to maintain dignity patient care. Some nurses in our study indicated respect for patient autonomy and agreement and stressed the importance of patient involvement in care decisions, despite the suggestion that patients Asian countries tend to rely on family members or caregivers with respect to medical decision or attention.

The findings are likely explained by recent accreditation standards for hospitals in Taiwan (Taiwan Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals and Quality Improvement 2009) that emphasize patient autonomy and participation in decisions about treatment.

Ethnography

Maintaining dignity in patient care was described in five themes: respect, protecting privacy, emotional support, treating all patients alike and ...