Dignity and respect are the missing link of nurses' empowerment

Abstract

Respect to dignity is one of the accepted principles of human rights and is one of the most important topics related to the field of health. Within a Physician-dominated health care system, nurses always been under violence and they need some efforts to escape from this inequality in order to reach their professional rights and organizational power. This study explored the state of nurse's dignity in the health care setting of Iran and describes the factors that influence or compromise nurses dignity and empowerment. Qualitative content analysis was used for analyzing semi structured interviews with 16 nurse and nurse managers. Three main categories related to factors influencing nurse's dignity were explored: personal factors, management and organizational structure, and social attitudes and historical legacy. The finding revealed that the nurses live between respect to violence and experience multidimensional problems. Also recognition and focusing on the factors will help managers to preserve nurse's dignity and have empowered nurses.