Abstract
Dignity is a fundamental concept that defines how we interact and care for every person in our society. Our understanding of dignity and its significance for people at the end of life (EOL) is crucial to informing our day-to-day interactions with these patients.
Dignity is described as a multifaceted social construct, comprising values and feelings experienced by an individual. The Oxford Dictionary defines dignity as 'the state or quality of being worthy of honour or respect', (Oxford Dictionaries 2017) whereas the Cambridge Dictionary defines it as 'the importance and value that a person has, that makes other people respect them or makes them respect themselves' (Cambridge University 2017). Both definitions capture the objective nature of dignity - that dignity is intrinsic, that every person has the basic right to be treated with dignity (Clark 2010).
Dignity is described as a multifaceted social construct, comprising values and feelings experienced by an individual. The Oxford Dictionary defines dignity as 'the state or quality of being worthy of honour or respect', (Oxford Dictionaries 2017) whereas the Cambridge Dictionary defines it as 'the importance and value that a person has, that makes other people respect them or makes them respect themselves' (Cambridge University 2017). Both definitions capture the objective nature of dignity - that dignity is intrinsic, that every person has the basic right to be treated with dignity (Clark 2010).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 30-33 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2017 |