open access
Perception of patients with COVID-19 about respecting their dignity in hospital settings: a cross-sectional study


- Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Paramedical, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
open access
Abstract
Background: Dignity therapy is a psychotherapy intervention whose main goal is to improve the quality of life, promote spiritual and psychological health, and reduce suffering in people with life-threatening diseases. Deteriorating health status is associated with low perceived dignity. The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with growing concerns about the quality of health care. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the perception of patients with COVID-19 about respecting their dignity in the hospital settings and related variables. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021, on 206 patients with COVID-19 in hospitals. Patient Dignity Questionnaire (PDI) was used to collect data and descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: The mean age of the participants was 54.83 ± 14.98 years and the majority of them were male (67.5%). The mean score of overall perceived dignity was 69.76 ± 10.62 out of 125. Participants rated 7 out of 25 items as 3 or higher, indicating the importance of these items in the clinical setting. The highest and lowest mean scores were in the dependence (3.28 ± 0.55) and social support (1.49 ± 0.59) subscales, respectively. The mean dignity score was associated with the patients' educational level and gender (p = 0.012) (p = 0.065). Conclusions: Patients with COVID-19 were concerned about respecting their dignity. Our patients were more concerned about the dimensions of symptom distress, existential distress, and dependence. Conducting training workshops on respecting human dignity in patients with COVID-19 can improve nurses’ knowledge and skills in this area and promote respect for patient dignity.
Abstract
Background: Dignity therapy is a psychotherapy intervention whose main goal is to improve the quality of life, promote spiritual and psychological health, and reduce suffering in people with life-threatening diseases. Deteriorating health status is associated with low perceived dignity. The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with growing concerns about the quality of health care. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the perception of patients with COVID-19 about respecting their dignity in the hospital settings and related variables. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021, on 206 patients with COVID-19 in hospitals. Patient Dignity Questionnaire (PDI) was used to collect data and descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: The mean age of the participants was 54.83 ± 14.98 years and the majority of them were male (67.5%). The mean score of overall perceived dignity was 69.76 ± 10.62 out of 125. Participants rated 7 out of 25 items as 3 or higher, indicating the importance of these items in the clinical setting. The highest and lowest mean scores were in the dependence (3.28 ± 0.55) and social support (1.49 ± 0.59) subscales, respectively. The mean dignity score was associated with the patients' educational level and gender (p = 0.012) (p = 0.065). Conclusions: Patients with COVID-19 were concerned about respecting their dignity. Our patients were more concerned about the dimensions of symptom distress, existential distress, and dependence. Conducting training workshops on respecting human dignity in patients with COVID-19 can improve nurses’ knowledge and skills in this area and promote respect for patient dignity.
Keywords
palliative care, patient dignity inventory, hospital setting, COVID-19


Title
Perception of patients with COVID-19 about respecting their dignity in hospital settings: a cross-sectional study
Journal
Palliative Medicine in Practice
Issue
Article type
Research paper
Published online
2023-01-17
Page views
63
Article views/downloads
37
DOI
10.5603/PMPI.a2023.0005
Keywords
palliative care
patient dignity inventory
hospital setting
COVID-19
Authors
Seyed Ahmad Bathaei
Iman Khahan Yazdi
Alireza Mirbagheri Gam
Maryam Naghipoor Far


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