Dignity in nursing care: What does it mean to nursing students?

Mullen, Rosemary F; Kydd, Angela; Fleming, Anne; McMillan, Laura

Abstract

Background: Despite growing interest in the potential of nursing education to enhance dignity in nursing care, relatively little is known about what dignity means to nursing students.
Research question: What meaning does dignity in nursing care have for nursing students?
Research design: Photo-elicitation was embedded within a Nominal Group Technique and responses were analysed by qualitative and quantitative content analysis.
Participants and research context: Participants were recruited from each year of a 3-year undergraduate preregistration adult nursing programme in Scotland. In total, 31 nursing students participated in the study.
Ethical considerations: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the School of Health, Nursing and Midwifery, University of the West of Scotland.
Findings: Participants articulated the meaning of dignity in nursing care in terms of the relationships and feelings involved. A total of 10 categories of meaning were identified.
Discussion: The significance of the nature of the nurse–patient interaction to preserving dignity in nursing
care is highlighted.
Conclusion: Understanding the meaning of dignity for nursing students may help prepare future nurses
more able to preserve dignity in nursing care.

Citation

Mullen, R. F., Kydd, A., Fleming, A., & McMillan, L. (2017). Dignity in nursing care: What does it mean to nursing students?. Nursing Ethics, https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733017720825

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 15, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Sep 21, 2017
• Publication Date: Sep 21, 2017
• Deposit Date: Sep 21, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 21, 2017
• Journal: Nursing Ethics
• Print ISSN: 0969-7330
• Electronic ISSN: 1477-0989
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733017720825
• Keywords: Content analysis, dignity in care, ethics education, nursing students, photo-elicitation, topic areas Background
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/989513
• Contract Date: Sep 21, 2017