Student nurses' perceptions of dignity in the care of older people

Macaden, Leah; Kyle, Richard G; Medford, Wayne; Blundell, Julie; Munoz, Sarah-Anne; Webster, Elaine

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this research was to investigate student nurses’ perceptions of the concept of dignity in the care of older people. Student nurses regularly move between the classroom and the clinical setting and are thus ideally placed to cast light on the barriers that exist to providing dignity in care and the way in which their theoretical understanding of dignity is shaped by exposure to the practice setting. Method: All student nurses on a three-year undergraduate nursing programme at one university were invited to participate in an online questionnaire survey and focus groups. Results: Students equated the practice of upholding dignity with listening to individuals, involving them in decision making and maintaining their privacy. Participants were mostly confident about what dignity meant in practice, but were unsure about the more theoretical aspects. Four major barriers to the promotion of dignity were highlighted—these were organisational, environmental, professional and personal in nature. Conclusion: Dignity education should occupy a more prominent position in pre-registration nursing programmes.

Citation

Macaden, L., Kyle, R. G., Medford, W., Blundell, J., Munoz, S.-A., & Webster, E. (2017). Student nurses' perceptions of dignity in the care of older people. British Journal of Nursing, 26(5), 274-280. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2017.26.5.274

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 21, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Mar 22, 2017
• Publication Date: Mar 9, 2017
• Deposit Date: Feb 23, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 23, 2017
• Journal: British Journal of Nursing
• Print ISSN: 0966-0461
• Publisher: Mark Allen Healthcare
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 26
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 274-280
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2017.26.5.274
• Keywords: General Nursing
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/688806
• Contract Date: Feb 23, 2017