Examination of Nurses’ Professional Values and Their Respect for Patient Privacy: A Cross-Sectional and Correlational Study

Abstract

Objective: This study determined the professional values of nurses and their statuses of protecting patient privacy and investigated the relationship between these variables.

Methods: The study was conducted with 380 nurses working at 4 state hospitals operating in the 4 cities of in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. This cross-sectional and correlational study was conducted between May 2024 and September 2024. Data was collected using a Descriptive Information Form, the Patient Privacy Scale in Nursing, and the Nurses Professional Values Scale-Revised. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, parametric tests (t-test, ANOVA), and regression analyses via SPSS 27.0.

Results: The nurses had a mean total Patient Privacy Scale (PPS) score of 113.82 ± 5.57 and a mean total Nurses Professional Values Scale-Revised (NPVS-R) score of 87.18 ± 7.35, which indicated that they had high levels of professional values and protecting patient privacy. The regression model showed that the scores of the dimensions of NPVS-R predicted PPS scores, and the former explained 3.6% of the total variance in the latter. It was also detected that knowledge and practices in the context of patient privacy affected the statuses of the nurses to ensure the privacy of their patients and their perceptions of professional values.

Conclusion: The study concluded that nurses’ knowledge and practices regarding patient privacy and their professional values affect their ability to ensure the privacy of their patients. It is essential for nurses to understand professional values well and internalize them to provide reliable and quality care complying with ethical standards.

Cite this article as: Canbakiş E, Yildiz CÇ. Examination of nurses’ professional values and their respect for patient privacy: A cross-sectional and correlational study. Arch Health Sci Res. 2026, 13, 0125, doi: 10.5152/ArcHealthSciRes.2026.25125.