Dignity in nursing care: What does it mean to nursing students?

Despite growing interest in the potential of nursing education to enhance dignity in nursing care, relatively little is known about what dignity means to nursing students. What meaning does dignity in nursing care have for nursing students? Photo-elicitation was embedded within a Nominal Group Technique and responses were analysed by qualitative and quantitative content analysis. Participants were recruited from each year of a 3-year undergraduate preregistration adult nursing programme in Scotland. In total, 31 nursing students participated in the study. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the School of Health, Nursing and Midwifery, University of the West of Scotland. Participants articulated the meaning of dignity in nursing care in terms of the relationships and feelings involved. A total of 10 categories of meaning were identified. The significance of the nature of the nurse–patient interaction to preserving dignity in nursing care is highlighted. Understanding the meaning of dignity for nursing students may help prepare future nurses more able to preserve dignity in nursing care