Therefore, understanding patients ' perspectives on the meaning of dignity and respect in health care setting is critical to achieving the goal of person-centred care.
Ensuring a physical environment that allows patients to maintain their privacy and dignity is another applicable standard under this principle (NCNZ, 2012a).This standard focuses on the importance of supplying a physical environment to ensure that a patient’s privacy is well-protected. That is because there is an indispensable link between the physical environment and health care outcome (Joseph & Malone, 2012). The physical environment can improve patient safety, decrease patient’s stress and improve overall healthcare quality. On the contrary, an environment that lacks privacy
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According to the Council (2012a), cultural safety is an important aspect of nursing practice that is required in the Council’s standards of professional behaviour. As each person is a unique individual with their own values, attitudes, beliefs, and preferences, respecting patients’ cultural needs and values are an indispensable standard in all health care settings (Richardson, 2010). This is especially the case for countries with many different ethnic immigrants, such as New Zealand.
Under this principle, practising in a way that respects each health consumer’s identity and right to hold personal beliefs, values and goals is one of the applicable standards in this interaction (NCNZ, 2012a). This standard requires nurses to respect each individual’s age, ethnicity, culture, beliefs, gender, sexual orientation and/or disability in their nursing practice. This is also each health consumer’s right. The Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights illustrates that every client has the right to receive services which consider the beliefs of different cultural, religious, and ethical groups (Health & Disability Commissioner [HDC], 2009). Nurses should implement culturally sensitive care, and challenge discrimination and prejudice, which is also an expectation of cultural safety guidelines (Nursing Council of New Zealand [NCNZ],