Concept analysis of human dignity in patient care: Rodgers' evolutionary approach

Human dignity (HD) in patient care is an important concept in clinical ethics that has various definitions in existing literature. This study aimed at analyzing the concept of HD in patient care. To this end, Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis was used. For this purpose, scientific databases PubMed, Elsevier, ScienceDirect, Scopus, OVID, Web of Science, CINHAL, IRANDOC, Google Scholar, Magiran, SID and IranMedex were searched fusing the words “human dignity”, “patient care” and “ethics”. The main criterion for inclusion in the final analysis was the literature published in English and Persian from 2006 to 2016 in online scientific journals within the context of health care disciplines. Ultimately, 21 articles were selected for the study. The attributes of the concept under study were identified in two areas of individual HD and social HD. Antecedents included facilitators and threats, and the consequences consisted of both favorable and unfavorable consequences. HD forms the essence of patient care and is a value-based and humanistic concept based on respect for the integrity of human beings and their beliefs. This concept, with its holistic approach to humans, takes into account all stages of disease, old age and the end of life period. HD in patient care is influenced by cultural, social, spiritual and religious factors, and with its justice-based approach emphasizes equality of all patients and extends patient care to all areas of society rather than restricting it to hospital settings. In this study, a clear definition of HD is introduced.