Dignity and Health

Dignity is a property of an individual, and of the ways others react to him or her. Dignity is closely linked to, even if not identical with, an individual’s autonomy. Health professionals can influence a patient’s perspective on his or her dignity or worth through their consultation and communication style. The orientation of heath professionals towards treating people with disease rather than simply treating disease (in people) requires not only consideration of research evidence relating to the effectiveness of different interventions in groups of people with a particular health problem but also consideration of individual health factors and patient ‘values’ in reaching a management recommendation.