Katsumasa Ota1, Jukai Maeda2, Ann Gallagher3, Michiko Yahiro4, Yukari Niimi5, Moon F Chan6, Masami Matsuda7. 1. Fundamentals and Clinical Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Nagoya Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan. Electronic address: kota@met.nagoya-u.ac.jp. 2. Faculty of Nursing, Tokyo Ariake University of Medical and Health Sciences, Tokyo, Japan. 3. International Care Ethics (ICE) Observatory, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, England. 4. School of Nursing, Saku University, Nagano, Japan. 5. School of Nursing, Seirei Christopher University, Hamamatsu, Japan. 6. Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. 7. Department of Health and Nutrition, Faculty of Contemporary Human Life Science, Tokyo Kasei-gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The importance of human dignity in care is well-recognized. Care recipients' experiences with undignified care have been reported in many countries. However, few studies have measured these situations quantitatively, especially as there are no tools applicable to inpatients receiving ordinary daily care. This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable Inpatient Dignity Scale (IPDS) that can measure inpatients' expectations of and satisfaction with dignity in daily care. METHODS: We conducted a three-phase research project: item generation and a preliminary survey with 47 items related to patients' dignity in Japan, a main survey with 36 items with deliberate translation into English in Singapore, and a confirmatory survey with 35 items in England, with 442, 430, and 500 inpatients as participants in questionnaire surveys, respectively. Data from each survey were processed using factor analysis. RESULTS: Authors obtained a scale with a four-factor structure with acceptable reliability: (F1) respect as a human being, (F2) respect for personal feelings and time, (F3) respect for privacy, and (F4) respect for autonomy. CONCLUSION: The Inpatient Dignity Scale can be periodically used by hospital administrators or nurses to preserve inpatients' dignity in daily care by monitoring inpatients' views regarding their expectations of and satisfaction with dignity.
PURPOSE: The importance of human dignity in care is well-recognized. Care recipients' experiences with undignified care have been reported in many countries. However, few studies have measured these situations quantitatively, especially as there are no tools applicable to inpatients receiving ordinary daily care. This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable Inpatient Dignity Scale (IPDS) that can measure inpatients' expectations of and satisfaction with dignity in daily care. METHODS: We conducted a three-phase research project: item generation and a preliminary survey with 47 items related to patients' dignity in Japan, a main survey with 36 items with deliberate translation into English in Singapore, and a confirmatory survey with 35 items in England, with 442, 430, and 500 inpatients as participants in questionnaire surveys, respectively. Data from each survey were processed using factor analysis. RESULTS: Authors obtained a scale with a four-factor structure with acceptable reliability: (F1) respect as a human being, (F2) respect for personal feelings and time, (F3) respect for privacy, and (F4) respect for autonomy. CONCLUSION: The Inpatient Dignity Scale can be periodically used by hospital administrators or nurses to preserve inpatients' dignity in daily care by monitoring inpatients' views regarding their expectations of and satisfaction with dignity.