title: A new measure of home care patients' dignity at the end of life: The Palliative Patients' Dignity Scale (PPDS).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to develop a new and brief instrument to be employed in dignity measurement, one based on the perceptions of patients, relatives, and professionals about dignity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surveys of patients receiving palliative care, family caregivers, and palliative care professionals were first carried out (sample 1). In the second step, palliative care patients were surveyed with a pilot questionnaire (sample 2). Finally, a survey design was used to assess patients admitted into a home care unit (sample 3). Sample 1 included 78 subjects, including patients, family caregivers, and professionals. Some 20 additional palliative patients participated in sample 2. Finally, 70 more patients admitted to a home care unit participated were surveyed (sample 3). Together with the Palliative Patients' Dignity Scale (PPDS), our survey included other measures of dignity, anxiety, depression, resilient coping, quality of life, spirituality, and social support.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After analyzing data from steps 1 and 2, an eight-item questionnaire was presented for validation. The new scale showed appropriate factorial validity (χ2(19) = 21.43, p = 0.31, CFI = 0.99, GFI = 0.92, SRMR = 0.07, and RMSEA = 0.04), reliability (internal consistency estimations of 0.75 and higher), criterial validity (significant correlations with the hypothesized related variables), and a cutoff criteria of 50 on the overall scale.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The new PPDS has appropriate psychometric properties that, together with its briefness, encourages its applicability for dignity assessment at the end of life.
authors.affiliation: Home Care Unit of the Hospital General Universitario de Valencia,Valencia,Spain.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rudilla
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology,University of Valencia,Valencia,Spain.
authors.forename: Amparo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology,University of Valencia,Valencia,Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Galiana
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology,University of Valencia,Valencia,Spain.
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barreto
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012297:Right to Die; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019452:Terminally Ill / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Confirmatory factor analysis; Cuestionario de Dignidad en Cuidados Paliativos (CED–PAL); Dignity; Palliative care