Respecting dignity in care in diverse care settings: strategies of UK nurses

Abstract

This paper presents nurses' views of dignity issues in diverse UK health-care settings. A qualitative multisite case study was conducted at seven organizations: four National Health Service hospitals, two independent care providers and one mental health-care provider. The paper reports on the data from qualitative semistructured interviews (n = 51); the participants worked in a wide variety of care contexts. The data were analysed thematically and this paper reports on the theme 'strategies to respect dignity in care'. The subthemes were: recognizing vulnerability to dignity loss; enhancing privacy; improving communication between staff and patients/families and building relationships; improving the care environment; and addressing issues that matter to individuals. The findings indicate core elements to promoting dignity that apply across all care settings but suggest that nurses should identify and address dignity issues specific to their own practice areas.