Displaying respect for patients has been part of the foundation of excellent nursing care. Respect is the intentional act of showing consideration for another person’s interests and well-being. Nurses recognize another human-being as someone with their own likes and dislikes, thoughts and ideas, and values and morals. The patient is an autonomous and independent being; the nurse recognizes this individuality, and ultimately accepts the patient for who they are whether they align in their beliefs. Through acceptance, without consequence of behaviors or attitudes, a nurse can provide care in the best interest of the patient.
Patients, too, can show respect for their nurses. This is called mutual respect, or when two show positive regard for each other. While they might have drastically different backgrounds and inherently varying life perspectives, there is value in creating an environment for mutual respect to develop. Better patient outcomes as well as greater patient satisfaction is associated with respect between patient and healthcare provider (Otani, 2011). Suffering might also be lessened or alleviated when healthcare providers show respect for their patients (ANA Position Statement, 2018).
Respect in healthcare is seen is several ways. There is a “Top 10” list for ways in which nurses show their respect for their patients, and vice versa (James, T.A., 2018). They are as follows:
*Slide from the video cited under “helpful resources.”
As you think about the documentary, 5B, what are three ways that both the nurses and patients showed mutual respect? Why was mutual respect necessary on 5B?
James, T. A. (2018, August 31). Setting the stage: Why health care needs a culture of respect. Setting the Stage: Why Health Care Needs a Culture of Respect | HMS Postgraduate Education. Retrieved October 18, 2021, from https://postgraduateeducation.hms.harvard.edu/trends-medicine/setting-stage-why-health-care-needs-culture-respect.
*The importance of wellbeing, dignity and respect - Youtube. (2020). Retrieved October 18, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1nf9KSMh8c.
Ana Position statement: The ethical responsibility to manage pain and the suffering it causes. (2018). OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.3912/ojin.vol24no01poscol01
Burton, W., & Martin, A. (2020). Opioid overdose and addiction treatment: A collaborative model of compassion, patience, and respect. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 52(4), 344–351. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12562
Koskenniemi, J., Leino‐Kilpi, H., Puukka, P., & Suhonen, R. (2019). Respect and its associated factors as perceived by older patients. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 28(21-22), 3848–3857. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15013
Otani, K., Herrmann, P. A., & Kurz, R. S. (2011). Improving patient satisfaction in hospital care settings. Health Services Management Research, 24(4), 163–169. https://doi.org/10.1258/hsmr.2011.011008
Rewakowski, C. (2018). Respect: An integrative review. Nursing Science Quarterly, 31(2), 190–199. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318418755736