Nurse anaesthetist students' experiences of patient dignity in perioperative practice—a hermeneutic study

AIM: The aim of the study was to describe how nurse anaesthetist students experienced patient dignity in perioperative practice. DESIGN: A hermeneutical design and the critical incident technique were used to obtain experiences from practice. METHOD: In the Autumn of 2015, after participating in a mandatory lecture on ethics, 23 nurse anaesthetist students reported their experiences and interpretation concerning violation and preservation of patients' dignity in the operating theatre. The text, which was a compilation of descriptions of 35 incidents, was analysed by using hermeneutical text interpretation. FINDINGS: The text revealed three main themes preserving patients' dignity: allocating time to the patient, inviting the patient to participate and shielding the patient's body. Furthermore, three main themes of dignity violation were identified: alienation, backbiting and violation of intimate sphere. CONCLUSION: Discussion and reflection based on the personal experience of the students during their practice are ways to strengthen ethical awareness and promote an ethical and dignified caring culture.