NURE Investigación (May 2010)
Nursing professional facing patient privacy
Abstract
Privacy of patients admitted to the hospital is played down in favour of other needs considered more basic by the healthcare system and more related to the disease than to patients themselves. Situations and factors where privacy is damaged are frequent, but it is known that when these are avoided by professionals’ attitude, through strategies and different mechanisms, it becomes one of the most satisfactory elements to patients.Objectives: To identify and analyze situations and factors which affect privacy in hospital environment as well as the adaptation capacity of patients to them.Methodology: Phenomenological, qualitative research. By means of discussion groups with professionals, the following questions where answered: ‘What do professionals understand by privacy? Which situations and factors jeopardize it during the hospital stay? How do they think patients get adapted?Results: The concept of privacy is complex, personal and non-transferable. Situations in which it is jeopardized were divided in 5 main areas. Numerous behaviors regarding adaptation of patients to these were collected.Discussion: Although there is little nursery research referring to privacy and its defense in the professional-patient relationship field, concern about this aspect always shown by nursery staff stands out.As a conclussion, we observe the need to complement this research with the perception patients have about these same questions, establishing the importance they give to privacy.
