It is difficult to understand the meaning of ‘dignity’ in human rights, bioethics and nursing literature because the word is used so vaguely. Unless dignity’s meaning is spelt out it can disappear beneath more tangible priorities. In this article we define dignity and show how this can help health workers to maintain the dignity of people in their care.
Australian Nursing Council . Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia, Value Statement 1, Explanatory Statement 3. Canberra: Australian Nursing Council , July 1993.
2.
Australian Nursing Council . Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia, Standard 4. Canberra: Australian Nursing Council , July 1995.
3.
Commonwealth Standards for Nursing Homes, objective 4.1. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service , 1987.
Department of Health and Family Services , Commonwealth of Australia . Issues relating to the Resident Classification Scale. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service , 1997: 8-31.
