Establishing a clinical protocol to reduce patients’ sexual dignity discomfort

BackgroundIn healthcare, patients are inherently required to undress, expose their bodies, and entrust themselves to others at their most vulnerable states. However, the potential sexual dignity discomfort (SDD) during these moments remains an underexplored dimension of patient dignity in healthcare settings. Unaddressed SDD can erode patients' trust in providers, prompt avoidance of necessary care, and ultimately compromise health outcomes.Research aimThis study aimed to develop and validate a culturally grounded clinical protocol to prevent patients' SDD in South Korean healthcare settings.Research designA multistep protocol-development design was employed, comprising protocol development, Delphi validation, and interview-informed refinement.Participants and research contextA total of 26 healthcare professionals from diverse clinical settings in South Korea participated in the Delphi surveys, and nine experts participated in in-depth interviews.Ethical considerationsThis study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Chung-Ang University, and all participants provided informed consent.FindingsThe initial Delphi survey demonstrated high perceived necessity and importance of the protocol items but relatively lower feasibility and practice, revealing a gap between ethical awareness and practical implementation. Qualitative interviews identified several barriers to implementation, including sociocultural norms, defensive clinical attitudes, structural constraints, and hierarchical power dynamics. Based on these findings, the protocol was refined and finalized with 7 domains and 24 items.ConclusionsThe protocol developed in this study offers an evidence-based and culturally feasible framework not only as a practical guide for healthcare providers but also as an affirmation that every patient who exposes their body in clinical care deserves to have their dignity recognized, respected, and actively protected.