Although the term “dignity” is often used in connection with the dying patient, little research has been performed in this area. The authors attempted to examine the issue of dignity in the dying patient and to look at the differences in patients who related to a loss of dignity with those with preserved dignity.
The authors examined 213 patients who were in palliative care units and evaluated them using a 7-point sense of dignity item, the symptom distress scale, the McGill pain questionnaire, as well as several other scales examining quality-of-life issues. The authors discovered that 16 of the 213 patients described having serious concerns about the issue of dignity. This subgroup of patients reported an increased desire for death, an increased preoccupation with physical appearance, and the inability to independently perform such intimate self-care issues as bowel functioning, dressing, and ability to maintain outward physical appearance.
These patients also were evaluated when in an inpatient hospital setting while the large majority of the intact dignity group was being cared for in a noninstitutional setting. There was not a significant difference in the time of survival in either group, indicating that survival time was not a significant factor in the issue of loss of dignity.
The authors concluded that understanding the dignity concerns of dying patients would allow caregivers to more effectively develop management strategies that would preserve dignity.
From The Lancet December 21-28, 2002 (Volume 360, Number 9350) Dignity in the Terminally Ill: a Cross-sectional, Cohort Study Chochinov HM, Hack T, Hassard T, Kristjanson LJ, McClement S, Harlos M The Lancet. 2002;360(9350):2026-2030 Abstract
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