Patient dignity in persons with spinal cord injury

Technology is changing the way nurses provide patient care in spinal cord injury. A key nursing concern is the impact of technology-assisted caregiving tasks (TACT) on the patients' sense of dignity. Despite frequent use of the term dignity in discussing treatment of persons with disabilities, there is a dearth of empirical research related to this topic. In particular, there have been few attempts to define the construct for the purposes of valid measurement. The purpose of this article is, therefore, to critically review the relevant literature on patient dignity with an aim toward eventual development and validation of a Dignity Assessment Tool.