Respect in final-year student nurse–patient encounters – an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Abstract

Very little is known regarding health-care professionals' understanding and experiences of respect towards patients. The study aimed to explore student nurses' understanding and experiences of respect in their encounters with patients. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight final-year student nurses with practice placements across different health-care trusts in the UK. Transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Three super-ordinate themes were identified: understanding of what it means to show respect, negotiating role expectations and personal attitudes in practice, and barriers related to the performance of the nursing role. The factors identified should be investigated further and addressed as they are likely to influence patients' experiences of feeling respected in nurse-patient interactions and subsequently their well-being and health-related behaviours.