Learning and unlearning dignity in care: Experiential and experimental educational approaches

• Published in: Nurse education in practice 2017-07, Vol.25, p.50-56
• Main Authors: Kyle, Richard G., Medford, Wayne, Blundell, Julie, Webster, Elaine, Munoz, Sarah-Anne, Macaden, Leah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Attitude of Health Personnel; Curricula; Curriculum; Data Analysis; Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate - methods; Educational Environment; Empathy; Experience; Faculty, Nursing; Female; Focus Groups; Human dignity; Human rights; Humans; Interdisciplinary aspects; Internet; Learning; Male; Medical ethics; Midwifery education; Models, Educational; Narratives; Nurse tutors; Nurses; Nursing; Nursing Care - psychology; Nursing education; Nursing Students; Patients; Personhood; Professional practice; Questionnaires; Role play; Scotland; Simulation; Standardized patients; Students; Students, Nursing - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teachers; Testimony; Undergraduate Students
• ISSN: 1471-5953; 1873-5223
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nepr.2017.05.001

Guarding against loss of human dignity is fundamental to nursing practice. It is assumed in the existing literature that ‘dignity’ as a concept and ‘dignity in care’ as a practice is amenable to education. Building on this assumption, a range of experiential and experimental educational approaches have been used to enhance students' understanding of dignity. However, little is known about student nurses' views on whether dignity is amenable to education and, if so, which educational approaches would be welcomed. This mixed-methods study used an online questionnaire survey and focus groups to address these questions. Student nurses in Scotland completed online questionnaires (n = 111) and participated in focus groups (n = 35). Students concluded that education has transformative potential to encourage learning around the concept of dignity and practice of dignity in care but also believed that dignity could be unlearned through repeated negative practice exposures. Experiential and experimental educational approaches were welcomed by student nurses, including patient testimony, role-play, simulation, and empathy exercises to step into the lives of others. Nurse educators should further integrate experiential and experimental educational approaches into undergraduate and postgraduate nursing curricula to guard against the loss of learning around dignity students believed occurred over time. •Guarding against loss of dignity in care is enshrined in international nursing codes of practice.•Nurse educators have developed educational approaches to challenge student nurses' knowledge and understanding of dignity.•Student nurses' views on whether dignity is amenable to education and the educational approaches most welcomed are not known.•Student nurses concluded that dignity could be learned but also unlearned through negative practice experiences.•Experiential and experimental educational approaches were welcomed by students.