Background: The concept of dignity can be divided into two main attributes: absolute dignity that calls for recognition of an inner worth of persons and social dignity that can be changeable and can be lost as a result of different social factors and moral behaviours. In this light, the nursing profession has a professional dignity that is to be continually constructed and re-constructed and involves both main attributes of dignity. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine how nurses (...) described nursing’s professional dignity in internal medicine and surgery departments in hospital settings. Research design: The research design was qualitative. Ethical considerations: This study was approved by the ethics committees of the healthcare organizations involved. All the participants were provided with information about the purpose and the nature of the study. Participants: A total of 124 nurses participated in this study. Method: The data were collected using 20 focus group sessions in different parts of Italy. The data were analysed by means of a conventional inductive content analysis starting from the information retrieved in order to extract meaning units and sorting the arising phenomena into conceptually meaningful categories and themes. Results: Nursing’s professional dignity was deeply embedded in the innermost part of individuals. Regarding the social part of dignity, a great importance was put on the values that compose nursing’s professional identity, the socio-historical background and the evolution of nursing in the area considered. The social part of dignity was also linked to collaboration with physicians and with healthcare assistants who were thought to have a central role in easing work strain. Equally important, though, was the relationship with peers and senior nurses. Conclusion: The organizational environments under scrutiny with their low staffing levels, overload of work and hierarchical interactions did not promote respect for the dignity of nurses. To understand these professional values, it is pivotal to comprehend the role of different health professions in their cultural milieu and the evolution of the nursing profession in diverse countries. (shrink)

Background: This study examines nurses’ perceptions of dignity in themselves and their work. Nurses commonly assert concern for human dignity as a component of the patients’ experience rather than as necessary in the nurses’ own lives or in the lives of others in the workplace. This study is exploratory and generates potential relationships for further study and theory generation in nursing. Research questions: What is the relationship between the construct nurses’ sense of dignity and global self-esteem, work satisfaction, and identified (...) personal traits? Participants and research context: This cross-sectional correlation study used a stratified random sample of nurses which was obtained from a US University alumni list from 1965 to 2009 ( N = 133). Ethical considerations: University Institutional Review Board approval was achieved prior to mailing research questionnaire packets to participants. Participation was optional and numerical codes preserved confidentiality. Findings: Statistical results indicated a moderately strong association between the nurse’s sense of personal dignity and self-esteem ( rx =.62, p =.000) with areas of difference clarified and discussed. A positive but moderate association between nurses’ personal dignity and nurses’ work satisfaction ( rx =.37, p =.000) and a similar association between self-esteem and nurses’ work satisfaction ( rs =.29, p =.001) were found. A statistically significant difference was found ( F = 3.49 ( df = 4), p =.01) for dignity and categories of spiritual commitment and for nurses’ personal dignity when ratings of health status were compared ( F = 21.24 ( df = 4), p =.000). Discussion: Personal sense of dignity is discussed in relation to conceptual understandings of dignity (such as professional dignity) and suggests continued research in multiple cultural contexts. Conclusion: The relationships measured show that nurses’ sense of dignity has commonalities with self-esteem, workplace satisfaction, spiritual commitment, and health status; the meaning of the findings has ramifications for the welfare of nurses internationally. (shrink)

Background: Growing evidence suggests that collaborative practice improves healthcare outcomes, but the precursors to collaborative behavior between nurses and physicians have not been fully explored. Research question: The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to describe the professional values held by nurses and their attitudes toward physician–nurse collaboration and to explore the relationships between nurses’ characteristics (e.g. education, type of work) and professional values and their attitudes toward nurse–physician collaboration. Research design: This descriptive correlational study examines the relationship between (...) nurses’ professional values (Nurses Professional Values Scale–Revised) and their attitudes toward nurse–physician collaboration (Jefferson Scale of Attitudes toward Physician–Nurse Collaboration). Ethical considerations: Permission to conduct the study was received from the hospital, and the Institutional Review Boards of the healthcare system and the participating university. Participants/context: A convenience sample of 231 registered nurses from a tertiary hospital in the United States was surveyed. Findings: A significant positive relationship was found between nurses’ professional values and better attitudes toward collaboration with physicians ( r =.26, p <.01). Attitude toward collaboration with physicians was also positively associated with master’s or higher levels of education ( F(3, 224) = 4.379, p =.005). Discussion: The results of this study can be helpful to nurse administrators who are responsible for developing highly collaborative healthcare teams and for nurse educators who are focused on developing professional values in future nurses. (shrink)

Background: Nursing continues to gain legitimation epistemologically and ontologically as a scientific discipline throughout the world. If a profession gains respect as a true autonomous scientific profession, then this recognition has to be put in practice in all environments and geographical areas. Nursing professional dignity, as a self-regarding concept, does not have a clear definition in the literature, and it has only begun to be analyzed in the last 10 years. Objectives: The purpose of this meta-synthesis was to determine the (...) various factors that constitute the notion of nursing professional dignity. The target was to create a tentative model of the concept. Research design: The research design was a meta-synthesis (N = 15 original articles) of nursing professional dignity described in the literature, based on the guidelines by Noblit and Hare. Method and findings: Original studies were sought out from electronic databases and manual searches. The selection of literature was conducted on stages based on titles (n = 2595), abstracts (n = 70), and full-texts (n = 15) according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. From this analysis, a clear definition of nursing professional dignity emerged that underscored two main macro-dimensions constituting this intertwined, multidimensional, and complex notion: characteristics of the human beings and workplace elements. Conclusion: The recognition of nursing professional dignity could have a positive impact on patients because the results clearly showed that nurses are more prone to foster patients’ dignity, patients’ safety, and a better quality of care if their own dignity is respected. If nurses are uncomfortable, humiliated, or not seen in their professional role, it is difficult to give to others good care, good support, or good relationships. (shrink)

Background Dignity is a central human value supported by nurses’ professional ethics. In previous studies, nurses in clinical practice have experienced that dignity increased their work well-being and pride of work. Dignity is also strictly interweaved to professional identity in the different nursing’ roles, but little is known about dignity among public health nurses and primary care settings. Purpose This study aimed to describe the perceptions of nursing's professional dignity of public health nurses in primary care in Finland. Research design (...) An inductive qualitative descriptive approach with semi-structured focus group interviews was utilised. Participants and research context Twenty-seven Finnish public health nurses were interviewed via eight semi-structured focus group interviews in primary health care settings. Ethical considerations Before data collection, research permissions were obtained from participating health care centres. This type of research in Finland, with competent adult participants, does not require ethical pre-assessment but written and oral informed consent obtained before the interviews. Findings Based on our findings, public health nurses perceived that professional dignity was (1) part of their self-respect, an observed daily value based on their acknowledged competence. Besides, they perceived that (2) service users’ trust in public health nurses was a strong expression of professional dignity, and it could be uncovered when recipients of care utilised their services. In addition, public health nurses experienced that (3) professional dignity was an expression of different intertwined interprofessional and social factors. Discussion and conclusion Professional dignity is simultaneously an essential prerequisite and an outcome of public health nurses’ work. In future, more information would be needed to implement strategies in primary health care to foster nurses’ professional dignity also in international public health arenas. (shrink)

Background: When midwives are not treated with respect and their professional competencies are not recognised, their professional dignity is violated. Objective: This study explored and described how the professional dignity of midwives in the selected hospital can be enhanced based on their experiences. Research design: A descriptive phenomenological research design was used with in-depth interviews conducted with 15 purposely selected midwives. Ethical considerations: The Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee of the University of Pretoria approved the study. The research (...) was conducted in an academic tertiary hospital with voluntary participants. Findings: To dignify midwives it is essential to enhance the following: ‘to acknowledge the capabilities of midwives’, ‘to appreciate interventions of midwives’, ‘to perceive midwives as equal health team members’, ‘to invest in midwives’, ‘to enhance collegiality’, ‘to be cared for by management’ and ‘to create conducive environments’. Conclusion: The professional dignity of midwives is determined by their own perspectives of the contribution that they make to the optimal care of patients, the respect that they get from others and the support that hospital management gives them. With support and care, midwives’ professional dignity is enhanced. Midwives will strive to render excellent services as well as increasing their commitment. (shrink)

As an important professional value, dignity has always been an ethical concern in nursing education and practice. However, the dignity of nursing students in clinical environments has remained a little-discussed topic. This study aims to explore and describe nursing students’ dignity in clinical learning environments. This study is a qualitative descriptive work in which data were collected via semi-structured, in-depth, individual interviews and subsequently analyzed according to conventional content analysis. Based on the inclusion criteria of the study, nursing students were (...) selected from different departments of university hospitals in the south of Iran from October 2019 to December 2020 (n = 21). Sampling continued to the point of data saturation. This study has been approved by the institutional review board of the university. Two themes emerged from the data collected in the interviews: trust-based relationships and formation of professional identity. The findings of the study show that nursing students need to be supported by their instructors and perceive that the personnel and patients believe in their ability. In an effectively supportive, trust-based atmosphere, these factors can contribute to maintaining nursing students dignity. Also, showing respect for their personal identity, projecting a positive image of nursing, and giving them authority to perform executive and clinical tasks in hospital departments play a major role in the formation of nursing students’ professional identity and development of their dignity. Accordingly, it is recommended that in cultural contexts and clinical learning environments, more attention should be given to nursing students’ dignity. (shrink)

Background: Maintaining patient dignity is an important aspect of nursing care. No instrument is currently available to measure nurses’ behaviours for maintaining patient dignity in clinical care. Objectives: To develop and test an instrument to measure activities nurses perform to maintain patient dignity in clinical care settings, guided by the literature and face-to-face interviews. Research design: A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive survey collected data from the developed scale, which was analysed by descriptive statistics and factor analysis. Participants and research context: Convenience (...) samples of nurses participated in the interviews (n = 40) and examined face validity of the scale (n = 20). A purposive sample of 610 nurses was recruited from four regional hospitals in the northern, southern and eastern areas of Taiwan to test the developed scale. Ethical considerations: Research was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the study hospital. Information about the study was provided to nurses and those willing to participate provided written informed consent prior to data collection. Findings: The 36-item Dignity in Care Scale for Nurses had acceptable content and face validity. Factor analysis identified six factors necessary for maintaining dignity of patient care: communication skills, confidentiality of patient information, prompt response to patient needs, respect for patient’s autonomy, providing a safe environment and protecting the patient’s well-being. The reliability coefficient for the total scale was 0.93; alpha coefficients for the subscales ranged from 0.70 to 0.94. Discussion: The Dignity in Care Scale for Nurses was demonstrated to be a reliable and valid tool for assessing how nurses maintain dignity in care for patients in the clinical setting. The questionnaire can be used to provide feedback to nurses regarding patient dignity. Conclusion: Data gained from this instrument could be used to design nursing education programmes to help nurses enhance their abilities for maintaining patient dignity in clinical practice. (shrink)

Increasing global competition has intensified the use of informal sector workforce worldwide. This phenomenon is true with regard to India, where 92% of the workers hold precarious jobs. Our study examines the dynamics of workplace dignity in the context of Indian security guards deployed as contract labour by private suppliers, recognising that security guards’ jobs were marked by easy access, low status, disrespect and precariousness. The experiences of guards serving bank ATMs were compared with those working in large reputed organisations. (...) The former reported loss of dignity though their inherent self-worth remained partially intact, whereas the latter reclaimed dignity despite the precarious working conditions and the absence of unions. Guards from large reputed organisations evolved strategies by which they took advantage of the client’s vulnerabilities, developed ‘thick’ relationships at work and immersed themselves in 'doing dignity work' to ensure that they are not disposable. ‘Doing dignity work’ was a visible device which involved actions that met or went beyond the norms laid down by the client and was used by security guards to limit the extent of their precariousness. Since the opportunity to reclaim dignity was facilitated by large reputed clients’ adherence to legal regulations, we see implications of the study for the moral economy. (shrink)

Background: There is growing awareness that patient care suffers when nurses are not respected. Therefore, to improve outcomes for patients, it is crucial that nurses operate in a moral work environment that involves both recognition respect, a form of respect that ought to be accorded to every single person, and appraisal respect, a recognition of the relative and contingent value of respect modulated by the relationships of the healthcare professionals in a determined context. Research question/aim: The purpose of this study (...) was to develop better understandings of perceptions of nursing’s professional respect in community and hospital settings in England. Research design: The research design was qualitative. Focus groups were chosen as the most appropriate method for eliciting discussion about nursing’s professional respect. Participants and research context: A total of 62 nurses who had been qualified for at least a year and were working in two localities in England participated in this study. Methods: Data were collected using 11 focus group sessions. The data were analysed by means of an inductive content analysis, extracting meaning units from the information retrieved and classifying the arising phenomena into conceptually meaningful categories and themes. Ethical considerations: To conduct the research, permission was obtained from the selected universities. Results: Recognition respect of human beings was perceived as ingrained in the innermost part of nurses. Regarding appraisal respect, a great importance was placed on: the interactions among healthcare professionals, the time to build trust in these relationships, the influences of the workplace characteristics and nurses’ professional autonomy and decision-making. Conclusion: Recognition respect of persons was embedded in the inmost part of nurses as individuals. Concerning appraisal respect, it was thought to be deeply enshrined in the inter- and intra-healthcare professional interactions. The forging of trusting relationships over time was deemed to be strongly associated with good quality interactions with other healthcare professionals. (shrink)

Background: Education is considered the first function and mission of the university, and observing educational ethics guarantees the health of the teaching–learning process in the university. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore ethical values in nursing education from the perspective of Iranian nursing students and educators. Research design: This qualitative study was conducted using the Thematic Content Analyses method. The data were collected from seven semi-structured individual interviews and three focus group discussions from July to November 2015. (...) Participants and research context: The participants were faculty educators of nursing and nursing students in Tehran, capital of Iran, who were selected through purposive sampling. They were recruited gradually. Sampling was continued until data saturation when no new codes were extracted. Ethical committee: This study was conducted after obtaining the approval of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Ethics Committee, and informed consent were ensured before conducting the research. The principles of voluntariness, confidentiality, and anonymity were respected during the research process. Findings: Seven major themes emerged: human dignity, constructive human relations, educational justice, competency enhancement, excellence view, wisdom, and commitment and accountability. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that although many of the values, as universal values, were similar to those of other countries—which can be a reflection of the globalization process in the nursing profession and the presence of humanistic and spiritual approaches at the roots of the discipline, some differences could be found in the content of values due to factors such as the people’s beliefs, culture, and religion. Iranian nursing students and educators revealed a unique and culture-based set of ethical values. (shrink)

This cross-sectional survey aimed to investigate nurses’ opinions and practices regarding information and consent in the context of a large Italian teaching hospital and to explore potential influences of gender, age, university education, length of professional experience, and care setting. A questionnaire was administered to 282 nurses from six different care settings (Emergency Room, Emergency Medicine, Surgery, Hematology–Oncology, Geriatrics, and Internal Medicine). Overall, 84% (n = 237) of nurses returned the questionnaire (men: 24%; mean age: 36.2 ± 8 years; university (...) degree: 35%; mean length of professional experience: 12 ± 8.2 years). Most respondents regularly informed patients about medications and nursing procedures and asked for consent prior to invasive procedures, but some provided information to relatives instead of patients. Lack of time or opportunity was the main difficulty in informing patients. The work setting was the foremost factor significantly associated with participants’ opinions and practices. Further investigations are needed to confirm these findings in similar and other care settings. (shrink)