Caregivers' perception of teenagers' dignity in end of life stages: A phenomenological study.

Introduction: Maintaining patient dignity in a caregiving environment is one of the most important moral responsibilities for caregivers. Nonetheless, there are vulnerable groups, specifically teenagers, who in their final stages of life are prone to their dignity being threatened. Moreover, dignity is an abstract concept and there is no studies done on teenagers' dignity in the final stages of life available in Iran.Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the caregivers' experiences regarding teenagers' dignity in the final stages of life.Research design: This study is a descriptive phenomenological qualitative research project. The data was collected using deep individual and semi-structured interviews as well as taking notes. The Colaizzi analysis method was used to analyze the data.Participants and research context: 22 caregivers working with teenagers in the final stages of life in a public health centers in Iran who had the criteria to enter the study were selected using a purposeful sampling method and invited to join the study from August 2018 to June 2019. The sampling continued until data saturation.Findings: The findings of the present study were presented in the form of three main themes including "private," "respecting individual identity," and "attention to teenagers' needs" and an additional eight categories.Ethical Considerations: The study's protocol was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and all ethical principles were followed throughout the study.Discussion and conclusion: Based on the present study from the caregivers' point of view, teenagers in their final stages of life required to be cared for and taught in an environment that their privacy was maintained and their individual identity was respected as well as getting attention from the caregivers and companions. In such situations, the teenagers felt calm and their dignity was maintained; therefore, providing a cultural, professional, and organizational setting where all the components of maintaining dignity in teenagers are supported and prioritized is necessary.

Dignity: The Cornerstone of Nursing Care Among Hospitalized Mothers of Infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

: One of the most important areas of nursing care delivery is "dignity." Because of the increase in hospitalized infants in neonatal intensive care units in recent years, this has led to an increased focus on "family care and maternal dignity." Given the importance of understanding the phenomenon of maternal dignity in order to improve cooperation in the care of their infants and promote family-centered care, this study aims to describe the lived experience of hospitalized mothers of infants within the context of dignity. This is a descriptive phenomenological qualitative research study. Twenty mothers were invited to participate in this study using purposeful sampling. The data were generated through individual, semistructured interviews and field notes were developed during the interviews. Data were analyzed using the Colaizzi method.Findings of the study were presented in 3 themes: "privacy," "respecting individual identity," and "authority," and 7 additional subthemes. Mothers in this study needed to take care of their infants in an environment where their personal privacy is preserved, their individual identity is respected, and they have sufficient authority in obtaining medical decisions. It is essential that healthcare teams and policy makers of health organizations provide an appropriate supportive environment in terms of promoting mothers' dignity in different dimensions and subsequently improving family-centered care.