Caught between rights and realities: Nurses’ challenges with upholding patients’ rights in selected health facilities of South Africa

Abstract

Background: Nurses play a central role in upholding patients’ rights; yet in many health facilities, these rights are frequently compromised. Understanding these challenges is essential for developing effective improvement strategies and ensuring ethical, patients’ rights-centred care in health facilities.
Aim: To explore and describe the challenges faced by nurses in upholding patients’ rights in selected health facilities within the Capricorn District, Limpopo province, South Africa.
Setting: The study was conducted in four health facilities, including a tertiary hospital, district hospital, clinic, and healthcare centre.
Methods: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual design was used. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 28 conveniently sampled nurses from different nursing categories. Data were analysed using Tesch’s open coding method.
Results: Three themes with six subthemes were identified: (1) resource deficiencies as barriers hindering nurses’ ability to uphold patients’ rights; (2) nurses’ difficulties in upholding patients’ rights in health facilities; (3) infrastructure constraints affecting nurses’ ability to uphold patients’ rights in health facilities.
Conclusion: The findings reveal that nurses’ ability to uphold patients’ rights is challenged by interrelated resources, patient-related, and infrastructure barriers. Addressing these challenges through adequate staffing, supply provision, infrastructure improvements, and supportive policies is critical for creating safe health facilities for patients.
Contribution: This study provides evidence to assist policymakers, educators, and health administrators in developing sustainable policies that maintain professional ethics and comply with the constitutional requirement for equitable healthcare. It underscores the need for policy reforms, better resourcing, and supportive environments to strengthen nurses’ capacity for rights-based, ethical, and patient-centred care.