Bjørn Hofmann1. 1. Center for Medical Ethics, University of Oslo, Norway. b.m.hofmann@medetikk.uio.no
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To address the challenges of modern health care that patients call "inhumane medicine" by investigating the concept of dignity. That is, to answer the question: what does it mean to respect patients' dignity, and can focusing attention on dignity address the lack of trust in and respect for GPs? DESIGN: To scrutinise the concept of dignity as a basic term in health care by analysing its limitations. IMPLICATIONS: Respecting patients' dignity, and meeting them as whole persons and not as the aggregation of organs, functions and processes, is crucial in modern health care. However, even a health care focusing on dignity can become paternalistic and undignified. Hence, dignity appears to be a concept that addresses a basic challenge in modern health care, but which can be dangerous if its limitations are not respected.
OBJECTIVE: To address the challenges of modern health care that patients call "inhumane medicine" by investigating the concept of dignity. That is, to answer the question: what does it mean to respect patients' dignity, and can focusing attention on dignity address the lack of trust in and respect for GPs? DESIGN: To scrutinise the concept of dignity as a basic term in health care by analysing its limitations. IMPLICATIONS: Respecting patients' dignity, and meeting them as whole persons and not as the aggregation of organs, functions and processes, is crucial in modern health care. However, even a health care focusing on dignity can become paternalistic and undignified. Hence, dignity appears to be a concept that addresses a basic challenge in modern health care, but which can be dangerous if its limitations are not respected.
Authors: Heidi Bøgelund Frederiksen; Jakob Kragstrup; Birgitte Dehlholm-Lambertsen Journal: Scand J Prim Health Care Date: 2010-09 Impact factor: 2.581