The Experiences of Patients, Patient Companions, and care Providers with Ethical and Unethical Behaviors Toward Patients: A Qualitative Study

Despite the existence of ethical codes in the clinical environment, the rate of unethical behaviors in practice is alarmingly high today. An exploration of the experiences from multiple perspectives (patients, patients' companions, and different groups of care providers) can result in a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of the concept of ethical behaviors toward patients. The present study was conducted to investigate the experiences of patients, patient companions, and care providers with ethical and unethical behaviors toward patients using a qualitative study.

This was a qualitative study with a conventional content analysis design. The setting of the study was different departments of teaching hospitals in Shiraz, Iran. The participants consisted of 25 individuals: nine patients, three patient companions, and 13 healthcare providers. The subjects were selected via the purposeful sampling method until data saturation was reached. Data were collected through face-to-face, in-depth, and semi-structured interviews and observation from March 2022 to April 2023. Data analysis was performed using MAXQDA.

Analysis of the data resulted in three main categories: respect for human dignity (seven subcategories), professional duty of care (five subcategories), and effective interaction (four subcategories).

The findings of the present study stress the need for on-the-job training programs for healthcare providers to raise their awareness of the role of ethical behaviors in caregiving. Establishment of clinical ethics committees and arrangement of ethical rounds with doctors and nurses can promote ethical behaviors in clinical environments.