Meaning of Courtesy and Respect: Nurse and Patient Experiences.

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.