Efficacy of a Nursing Dignity Care Program: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Background Dignity is a fundamental ethical value in nursing, yet endorsement of dignity-preserving principles does not necessarily ensure their consistent enactment in everyday care. Research question/aim/objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of a structured Nursing Dignity Care Program (NDCP) on nurses’ agreement with dignity care, perceived importance of dignity care, and frequency of dignity-care provision over six months. Research design A multicenter quasi-experimental study with an intervention and control group and repeated measurements at baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months. Participants and research context A total of 371 clinical nurses from four regional hospitals in northern, southern, and eastern Taiwan participated; 178 received the NDCP and 193 received routine annual in-service education. Ethical considerations Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional review board of the participating institution (IRB No. 11-07-012). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Findings/results Repeated-measures analyses showed intervention-related differences in nurses’ agreement with and perceived importance of dignity care. Agreement showed significant Time, Group × Time, and Group effects, including a significant overall Group × Time interaction (F = 8.166, p < .001, partial η 2 = .022). Perceived Importance showed the largest Group × Time effect (F = 23.366, p < .001, partial η 2 = .060). For Frequency of Care Provision, Time (F = 13.019, p < .001, partial η 2 = .034) and Group effects (F = 6.859, p = .009, partial η 2 = .018) were significant, whereas the Group × Time interaction was not (F = 2.067, p = .108, partial η 2 = .006). Conclusions The NDCP was associated with stronger endorsement and valuation of dignity-preserving care among nurses, whereas changes in reported care provision were more complex. Dignity education should therefore address ethical endorsement, professional valuation, and clinical enactment while considering organizational conditions that support sustained dignity-preserving practice.