Authors
1 Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Islamic Azad University Isfahan Branch (Khorasgan)
2 Department of Adult Health Nursing, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
Background: Although respecting human dignity is a cornerstone of all nursing practices,
industrialization has gradually decreased the attention paid to this subject in nursing care.
Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate nurses’ commitment to respecting patient
dignity in hospitals of Isfahan, Iran. Methods: This descriptive‑analytical study was conducted in
hospitals of Isfahan. Overall, 401 inpatients were selected by cluster sampling and then selected
simple random sampling from different wards. Data were collected through a questionnaire
containing the components of patient dignity, that is, patient‑nurse relationships, privacy, and
independence. All items were scored based on a five‑point Likert scale. The collected data
were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi‑square tests. P < 0.05 were considered
significant in all analyses. Findings: Most patients (91%) scored their relationships with nurses
as good. Moreover, 91.8% of the participants described privacy protection as moderate/good.
Only 6.5% of the subjects rated it as excellent. The majority of the patients (84.4%) believed their
independence was maintained. These subjects also approved of taking part in decision‑making.
Conclusion: According to our findings, nurses respected patient dignity to an acceptable level.
However, the conditions were less favorable in public hospitals and emergency departments.
Nursing authorities and policy makers are thus required to introduce appropriate measures
to improve the existing conditions.
Keywords
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