Undignified care

Abstract

Patient dignity in involuntary psychiatric hospital care is a complex yet central phenomenon. Research is needed on the concept of dignity’s specific contextual attributes since nurses are responsible for providing dignified care in psychiatric care. The aim was to describe nurses’ experiences of violation of patient dignity in clinical caring situations in involuntary psychiatric hospital care. A qualitative design with a hermeneutic approach was used to analyze and interpret data collected from group interviews. Findings reveal seven tentative themes of nurses’ experiences of violations of patient dignity: patients not taken seriously, patients ignored, patients uncovered and exposed, patients physically violated, patients becoming the victims of others’ superiority, patients being betrayed, and patients being predefined. Understanding the contextual experiences of nurses can shed light on the care of patients in involuntary psychiatric hospital care.