The needs of older patients in hospital care: a scoping review

Patient dignity and dignified care: A qualitative description of hospitalised older adults perspectives

“…Several international professional codes of conduct for nurses have empha- Over the last two decades there has been a growing body of empirical evidence on patients' dignity and dignified nursing care of older adults (Calnan et al, 2013;Gallagher et al, 2008;Kerr et al, 2020;Mudge et al, 2021;Tadd et al, 2011;Tauber-Gilmore et al, 2018). However, while there is general agreement on the importance of dignity (Bláhová et al, 2020), there is no widely accepted definition of this important concept (Allard et al, 2018;Breitbart, 2018;Gallagher et al, 2008;Jacobson, 2007). Efforts have been made to clarify the concept of dignified care for hospitalised older adults to serve as an impetus for improvement in gerontological care.…”

“…Three main themes were identified: lack of shared decision making, respectful treatment of patients as individuals and patient safety issues. Similarly, a recent scoping review identified insufficient privacy but also isolation, loss of control, uncompassionate treatment and a sense of being ignored by HCPs as the factors that hinder dignity for older people in acute hospital settings (Bláhová et al, 2020).…”

“…There have been previous efforts by researchers to explore dignified nursing care for hospitalised older adults to inform gerontological practice and healthcare policy (Bláhová et al, 2020; Calnan et al, 2013; Tauber‐Gilmore et al, 2018). Using a qualitative ethnographic approach, Calnan et al (2013) cited poor HCP‐patient interactions and mixed‐sex wards with unisex toilet facilities as some of the factors that limit hospitalised older adults’ dignity in the UK.…”

“…Despite efforts to clarify what constitutes dignified care for hospitalised older adults (Hasegawa & Ota, 2019; Tauber‐Gilmore et al, 2018), and in spite of calls for a holistic approach to dignified care (Hillman et al, 2013), findings from a recent scoping review revealed that care for older patients in hospital settings is predominantly focused on routine work, while person‐centred care is often neglected (Bláhová et al, 2020). Routinised care suggests that hospitalised older adults may not be receiving the kind of individualised care needed to promote and maintain their dignity.…”

A systematic review of patient‐reported dignity and dignified care during acute hospital admission

“…The majority of these studies have also been conducted using qualitative designs with a high level of subjectivity and limitations for generalisability. These studies, however, have revealed that patients hospitalized in acute care settings often feel vulnerable, lack privacy and autonomy (Bláhová et al, 2020 ; Kerr et al, 2020 ) and may be experiencing a loss of dignity (Liu et al, 2020 ; Philipp et al, 2016 ).…”