Moving toward peace: an analysis of the concept of a good death.
One of the primary outcomes of end-of-life care should be the experience of a good death by the patient and the family. Yet there is no clear, shared understanding of what a good death is. This analysis of the concept of a good death has been guided by Rodgers' evolutionary method of concept analysis.(1) Forty-two articles were analyzed. There was the strong agreement that the concept of a good death was highly individual, changeable over time, and based on perspective and experience. Medical, nursing, and patient perspectives, as well as literature in sociology, include the following attributes of a good death, listed in order of frequency of appearance in the literature: being in control, being comfortable, sense of closure, affirmation/value of the dying person recognized, trust in care providers, recognition of impending death, beliefs and values honored, burden minimized, relationships optimized, appropriateness of death, leaving a legacy, and family care.
Kehl
Karen A
KA
School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Hospice Care Inc, Madison, Wisconsi, USA. kkehl@wisc.edu
D001293:Attitude to Death; D005195:Family Relations; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D019222:Mind-Body Relations, Metaphysical; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods; D012297:Right to Die; D019452:Terminally Ill; D014481:United States