title: [Privacy: a most important dimension for the quality of life of nursing home residents].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A fundamental aim of social science and for practitioners is the improvement of the quality of life of inpatients residing in long-term care homes. This research aims to determine aspects of their privacy in the context of quality of life from the residents' perspective, which has long been neglected.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 42 narrative interviews with nursing home residents were conducted and analyzed using the documentary method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four dimensions of privacy were identified. Intimate areas concern personal hygiene and toilet matters, non-intimate areas included mainly eating and the residents' private living area. Violations of privacy are associated with unpleasant feelings such as shame and disgust and are often subject to taboos. Respondents tended to be more open to talk about taboo subjects the less the topic referred to their own body.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Privacy is perceived as a significant aspect of the respondents' quality of life. To be able to address inhibition thresholds and shameful topics, a good relationship between patient and personnel is required. This postulates that the caregivers are also aware of their own inhibition threshold and negative feelings.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Medizinische Soziologie, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Luisenstr. 13, 10117, Berlin, Deutschland, anja.behr@charite.de.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Behr
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holzhausen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kuhlmey
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schenk
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003219:Confidentiality / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018907:Privacy / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*