Patient's Dignity: Viewpoints of Patients and Nurses in Hospitals

Much of the available research on perceptions of patient dignity either is qualitative in type or explores them in specific patient groups, such as elderly patients, cancer patients, terminally-ill patients, and adolescent patients. The present study addresses nurses' and adult patients' views on patient dignity. A total of 400 individuals (200 nurses and 200 patients) from 39 internal and surgical units from four hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences participated in the study. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation coefficient using SPSS v. 23.0. A significant difference between nurses' and patients' points of view was identified in relation to four domains: the importance of privacy (p < 0.001); attention to patient autonomy (p < 0.001); respect for patients (p < 0.001); and communication between nurses and patients (p < 0.001). In order to maintain patients' dignity in practice, nurses must become better acquainted with patients' expectations. The questionnaire assessing respect for patient's dignity developed in the present study is a reliable and valid instrument for this purpose.