New Vision for the Dignity: Understanding the Meaning of Patient Dignity in Iran.

Aim: Respect for human dignity right has been accepted as a fundamental human need in the world, but its meaning is complex. The present research aimed to understand the meaning of patient dignity in Iran. Study Design: The study was a qualitative study using content analysis. Place and Duration of Study: The study was performed in Kerman, Iran in 2014. Methodology: The study was conducted among patients with Heart diseases. The purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants. Participants were 16 heart patients admitted from two hospitals affiliated with the Kerman University of Medical Sciences. Twenty semi-structured interviews were constructed. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis Results: The analyzed data were made into two main themes and ten sub-themes. The two main themes that emerged were 1- Basic dignity with subthemes (Human security, Comprehensive care, Education and awareness, Respect, Effective communication and Privacy), 2- Transcendent dignity with subthemes (Trust, Gratitude, Satisfaction, Spiritual growth). In the basic dignity, the focus was on physical and psychological needs and in the transcendent dignity; the focus was on spiritual dimension. The results of this study may help health care professionals in understanding patient dignity in Iran.

Patient Dignity in Coronary Care: Psychometrics of the Persian Version of the Patient Dignity Inventory.

Aim: The Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI) is a valid and reliable questionnaire. This questionnaire was created by Chochinov in 2002 and is used to measure various sources of distress related to the dignity of patients. The present study investigated the characteristics of items, reliability and validity measurements, and the application of the PDI for Persian-speaking cardiac patients. Place and Duration of Study: The study was performed in Kerman, Iran in 2014. Methodology: The PDI was translated into Persian. Then, it was distributed among 220 cardiac patients along with another 4 questionnaires related to anxiety, depression, hopelessness, and quality of life. Cronbach’s coefficient alpha was calculated and principal component analysis and correlation analysis were performed. Construct validity was assessed using these validated questionnaires: the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), and SF-36 Health Survey. Results: Factor analysis supported 4 dimensions, including the loss of human dignity, emotional distress and uncertainty, changes in ability and mental image, and loss of independence. The loading factors ranged between 0.5 and 0.83. The Cronbach's alpha of the questionnaire was high at 0.85, and those of the 4 dimensions were also high, ranging between 0.80 and 0.91. A desirable correlation was found between the Persian version of the Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI-P) and the 4 other questionnaires. Conclusion: This tool can be useful in measuring coronary patients' dignity and the distress associated with dignity that these patients comprehend, and it can be used in Persian-speaking countries.