The Importance of Dignity in Patient Care

I’ve been reading Dr Harvey Chochinov’s 2007 article on the importance of treating patients with dignity. Although it was written in the context of palliative care, its message resonates across every field of medicine.

It reminded me of my time as a registrar at Weskoppies Hospital, many years ago. I was rotating through forensic psychiatry and responsible for ward rounds in the maximum security unit. Just two weeks before, I had been assaulted by a patient. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, but I was rattled. The usual confidence I carried into those spaces had vanished.

There was one patient in particular—let’s call him Mr M—who terrified me. A few weeks prior, he had held staff hostage. I was afraid of him and of being in the room alone with him.

So I made a plan: I would be polite. I’d greet him respectfully. I’d stick to small talk and keep things safe and simple.

Six months later, during my final ward round, I let him know a new doctor would be taking over. He stood up and said:

“Dr King, thank you. You’ve always treated me with respect. You never called me anything other than Mr M. I want to thank you for that.”

That moment has stayed with me for years. I was just trying to get through each ward round. But in the process, I unknowingly gave him something powerful: respect.

Dr Chochinov writes: “Patients look at healthcare providers as they would a mirror, seeking a positive image of themselves and their continued sense of worth.”

Sometimes, the smallest gestures—greeting an older person by their surname, listening fully, treating them as a whole human being—are what uphold their dignity. They may seem insignificant to us. But to our patients, they matter deeply.

Kindness, humanity, and respect don’t take extra time. But they change everything.

By Dr Michelle Beukes-King