An overview of the factors affecting the human dignity perceived by patient

Abstract

Introduction: Respect for patients’ dignity makes up the fundamental nature of nursing care. In recent years, increased life expectancy, rising health care demands, and rapid advancement in medical sciences may have prevented the nurses from ensuring their conformity and respect for patient’s dignity and their privacy. The present study aims to evaluate the performed studies on respecting the patients’ dignity. Materials and Methods: In this review, the articles between 2008 and 2016 were searched and examined using "dignity of patients" as a keyword in scientific databases in Persian language and the keywords such as "Human Dignity", "patient" and " perceived human dignity" in the Pubmed database. Results: The most important patients’ need is a treatment accompanied with respect and considering human dignity. Factors contributing to feeling dignity in patients include: privacy, confidentiality, appropriate communication, providing sufficient information, choice, patients’ participation in care and respect. Inappropriate relationship and making patients wait for a long time to receive care will decrease the sense of dignity in them. When patients feel they have been ignored, medical personnel lack the necessary information and they are not reliable, endured great pressure and their human dignity is believed to be threatened, too. Apologizing patients and their families for medical errors can help to preserve their human dignity. Conclusion: Appropriate interaction with patients, creating a sense of trust, empathy and listening to patients are effective in creating a sense of dignity. Nurses must consider respecting the human dignity of patients as their duty and perform their professional duties duly by developing a sense of dignity in their patients.