ICU nurses’ maintaining dignity among older patients: A mixed methods study

Wanting Xie, Haili Zhu, Han Fu, Dong Zhu, Xueqin Zeng, Qing Yuan, Bihui Chen, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Hunan Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Hunan Provincial People, s Hospital, Changsha Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Nursing Ethics: An International Journal for Health Care Professionals

Published online on January 29, 2026

Abstract

Nursing Ethics, Volume 33, Issue 4, Page 1019-1035, June 2026.
BackgroundPreserving dignity is a core element of nursing care. Older adults admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) are particularly vulnerable to dignity loss due to critical illness, invasive interventions, and limited communication.ObjectiveThis study ...