Resumo

MTHEMBU, T et al. Exploring human dignity conservation in occupational therapy education reinforces graduate attributes: Undergraduate students' perceptions. Afr. J. Health Prof. Educ. (Online) [online]. 2025, vol.17, n.1, pp.2-4. ISSN 2078-5127.  https://doi.org/10.7196/ajhpe.2025.v17i1.1521.

BACKGROUND: Human dignity is a fundamental constitutional right essential to occupational therapy (OT) education and practice, aligning with the graduate attributes of Ubuntu, human rights and ethics. However, little is known about its integration into OT education at universities OBJECTIVE: To explore how OT students perceive human dignity in OT education METHODS: A qualitative exploratory descriptive study was conducted with 30 purposively selected OT students from first to fourth year. The study involved four focus group discussions (FGDs), which were audiotaped, transcribed and thematically analysed through an iterative and credible process RESULTS: Participants seemed to grapple with understanding human dignity but knew it was part of human rights and OT. Two major themes were identified: students' perceptions of human dignity and the notion of human dignity as a central concept left on the side CONCLUSION: The findings are relevant for curriculum transformation and integration of human dignity into OT education. They can be used to equip undergraduate OT students with the knowledge and skills needed to enhance their understanding of human dignity, human rights and advocacy for clients in cases of rights violations. Participants noted that while human dignity was an omitted concept in the classroom, clinical supervisors provided significant learning opportunities for them to learn about human rights. Students' willingness to expand their knowledge of human dignity enabled them to apply and integrate existing policies and legislative frameworks such as the Bill of Rights and the Batho Pele principles into their learning

Palavras-chave : Human dignity; graduate attributes; Ubuntu; human rights and occupational therapy.

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