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Article
Meaning of Courtesy and Respect: Nurse and Patient Experiences.
Journal of nursing care quality
  • Elizabeth Mayfield, St Joseph Hospital, Orange, California
  • Martha E F Highfield, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, Mission Hills, California
  • Sherri Mendelson, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, Mission Hills, California
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-8-2019
Disciplines
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Treating patients with courtesy and respect has quality, ethical, and fiscal ramifications.

PURPOSE: This qualitative study revealed meanings of nurse courtesy and respect as imbedded in nurse and patient stories.

METHODS: Audio-recorded interviews were collected from 15 registered nurses and 17 patients on a medical-surgical unit in a 377-bed, nonprofit, Magnet-recognized facility.

RESULTS: Six themes related to courtesy and respect emerged during descriptive content analysis by 2 researchers: (1) being attentive (with subthemes taking time, physical care, and proactive engagement); (2) giving empathetic support; (3) honoring culture and beliefs; (4) recognizing the family; (5) recognizing patient space; and (6) recognizing personhood (with subthemes of showing ordinary politeness and recognizing the individual and honoring choices).

CONCLUSIONS: Informants' stories contributed toward a better understanding of what it means to treat patients with courtesy and respect; and they created context for interpreting HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) numerical results. Further research is warranted.

Specialty
Nursing
Citation Information
Elizabeth Mayfield, Martha E F Highfield and Sherri Mendelson. "Meaning of Courtesy and Respect: Nurse and Patient Experiences." Journal of nursing care quality (2019)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/sherri-mendelson/25/