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

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.