Nursing Students’ Views of Gift-giving by Patients
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31436/ijcs.v8i1.408Keywords:
Humans, Intention, Gift giving, Delivery of health care, StudentsAbstract
Background: Gifts are often presented to healthcare professionals as an expression of appreciation for their care provision. In turn, this gives rise to the pivotal ethical dilemma concerning the acceptance or rejection of such gifts by healthcare professionals. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of nursing students regarding the ethical appropriateness of gift-giving practice by patients within the healthcare context.
Methods: This study employed a qualitative descriptive approach. Purposive sampling was applied, and nine nursing students agreed to be interviewed. The students took part in online interviews, which were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.
Results: This study identified three broad themes regarding students’ perceptions of gift-giving by patients: (1) Gift-giving culture, (2) Misconception of gift-giving practice, and (3) Consequences of gift-giving practice.
Conclusion: This study’s findings indicate that a sizable proportion of nursing students exhibit an ethical awareness about the appropriateness of gift-giving by patients. They cite a variety of ethical considerations when deciding whether to receive or decline such gifts from patients. They also emphasise the importance of the attributes of the gift, the anticipated intentions or expectations of the patient, and the potential ramifications for the clinical-patient relationship. Therefore, it is imperative to enhance further the professional behaviour of healthcare professionals in ethical practice. This will enable a resolution to the ongoing debate regarding the ethical appropriateness of gift-giving.
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