Human Dignity

To see the humanbeing behind the disease as an ultimately self-determining individual with potentialities within himself ” is the utmost expression of respect to dignity. This philosophical perspective of nursing is described in Lanara’s book Heroism as a Nursing Value, as it is influenced by the Greek literature and also discussed by contemporary nurse philosophers. Although dignity is recognized as a core issue in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and as a central nursing value within the International Code of Ethics and national nursing codes, the concept is still vague leading to confusion about its meaning. Jacelon et al s identification of behavioral characteristics of dignity make an important contribution to science by facilitating the development of an operational definition that lends itself to the development of nursing interventions that promote patient dignity . Operationalizing dignity as well as the implications for everyday practice, Gallagher et al. support that much of what is described as contributing to dignity in care could be grouped under the heading of individualised care.

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Last date updated on September, 2024