title: Understanding treatment with respect and dignity in the intensive care unit.
abstract: Despite wide recognition of the importance of treating patients with respect and dignity, little is known about what constitutes treatment in this regard. The intensive care unit (ICU) is a unique setting that can pose specific threats to treatment with respect and dignity owing to the critical state of patients, stress and anxiety amongst patients and their family members, and the highly technical nature of the environment. In attempt to understand various stakeholders' perspectives of treatment with respect and dignity, patients and family members were interviewed, a wide range of health care professionals participated in focus groups, and third party observers took field notes of interactions in the ICU. This paper compares and contrasts the data that were generated using these different methods. Triangulating the data in this way contributes to a more complete and nuanced understanding of treatment with respect and dignity in the ICU.
authors.forename: Hanan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aboumatar
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Forbes
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Branyon
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carrese
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Geller
authors.forename: Mary Catherine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Beach
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sugarman
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D026688:Bioethical Issues; D001675:Bioethics; D032882:Comprehension; D003422:Critical Care / Q000941:ethics*; D005190:Family; D017144:Focus Groups; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000941:ethics*; D028723:Personhood; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations / Q000941:ethics*