Development and Validation of a questionnaire on human dignity in nursing cares: an exploratory sequential mixed...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Human dignity is a fundamental ethical principle in nursing care.
• Existing tools may not adequately capture the multifaceted nature of human dignity in clinical settings.
• Developing a specific, validated instrument is crucial for assessing and improving dignity-preserving care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a comprehensive questionnaire to measure human dignity in nursing care.
• To establish the psychometric properties of the newly developed instrument.
• To provide a reliable tool for evaluating nurses' adherence to dignity-preserving practices.

Main Methods:

• A sequential exploratory mixed-method study involving qualitative and quantitative phases.
• Qualitative phase: Conventional content analysis to define human dignity in nursing.
• Quantitative phase: Item generation, face, content, and construct validation, reliability testing (Cronbach's alpha, test-retest) with 203 nurses.

Main Results:

• The qualitative phase elucidated key dimensions of human dignity in nursing care.
• Factor analysis identified four subscales: respectful communication, equality of patient human value, preservation of privacy, and patient-centered care.
• The 20-item questionnaire demonstrated excellent reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85, stability = 0.80) and validity.

Conclusions:

• The developed 20-item questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring human dignity in nursing care.
• This tool can be utilized by healthcare institutions to assess and enhance the quality of patient care.
• The findings support the integration of dignity-focused assessments into nursing practice and education.