Incongruent Perceptions Among Nurses and Patients: A Qualitative Study of Patient's Dignity in Iran

Dignity is the most fundamental right of every human being, patients in particular. Despite being a fairly disputed concept, dignity is a multidimensional issue, the interpretation of which is affected by a multitude of factors. Semistructured interviews and observation data from 35 patients, their companions, and nurses were performed to highlight their views with regard to patients’ dignity in health care centers. Although findings reveal that nearly all patients felt that their dignity had been violated, there is a considerable difference between participants’ viewpoints of dignity. Interactions among participants can increase their awareness of dignity and may lead to its maintenance.