Emergency departments’ nurses and patients perspectives about patient dignity in Tabriz training hospitals

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Getting a respect to the human dignity is one of the moral principles of human beings and the professional duty of any person as a nurse, and if a nurse gets a value and respects to all patients, human dignity is manifested in the health care environment. Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the patients’ dignity from the nurses’ and patients’ view in the emergency departments of Tabriz educational hospitals. Method: This descriptive study was performed with the participation of 100 emergency depatment nurses and 165 patients who referred to the emergency departments. working in different wards of Tabriz educational and medical centers. Demographic questionnaire and two questionnaires in patients’ dignity from nurses’view and the patients' dignity from the patients’ view were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 23. Results: 59 nurses (59%) and 92 patients (55.7%) were female in this study. The overall mean score of the patients' dignity from the nurses’ view was 2.266±0.385. (The lowest score= 0, the highest score= 3). Also, the overall mean score of respect for the patients’ dignity from the patients' point of view was 1.916±0.396. (The lowest score=0 and the highest score=3), that both of them were indicated of a desired and an improved status of respect for the patients. Despite the desirable level of respect for the patients by the nurses, there was a significant difference between the views of the nurses and patients. (P <0/05). In addition, the results showed that the "name of the hospital" where nurses work there was significantly related to the rate of respect for the patients by the nurses (P <0.05). Regarding the patients, characteristics such as "hospital name", "education" and "occupation" of the patients had a significant relationship with the rate of respect for their dignity by the nurses (P <0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the respect for the patients from the nurses’ and patients’ views is in optimal rate. However, nurses and patients in the emergency departments reported a lack of respect for the patient in terms of “patient independence” and “gender matching” aspects. Therefore, for improving this condition and keeping the dignity of patients, it is necessary to encourage the nurses of the emergency departments and they should be supported by the authorities so that the weak and insignificant points of the patient's dignity are repaired and strength potentials remain more stable.