Dignity Therapy: an experience report in end-of-life care
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33159/25959484.repen.2025v36a01Keywords:
Cuidados de Enfermagem, Enfermagem de cuidados paliativos na terminalidade da vida, Psicoterapia Breve, Cuidados PaliativosAbstract
Objectives: Evaluate the impact of the application of dignity therapy on the manifestation of symptoms and the spiritual well-being of a terminally ill patient. Method: Experience report on the application of Dignity Therapy by a nurse to a terminally ill patient, accompanied by an interprofessional palliative care team in a large public hospital in the city of São Paulo. Results: The patient presented symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, anxiety, and general discomfort. After undergoing Dignity Therapy, the patient reported a significant reduction in anxiety and expressed feelings of peace, inner harmony, and a regained sense of life purpose. Conclusions: Dignity Therapy showed potential benefits for spiritual well-being and reduction of anxiety symptoms in the context of palliative care. The effects of Dignity Therapy should be further explored in clinical studies with more robust methodologies.
References
1- World Health Organization (WHO). Global atlas of palliative care at the end of life. 2018[Internet]. 2019[cited 2023 May 8]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact- sheets/detail/palliative-care
2- Chochinov HM, Hack T, Hassard T, Kristjanson LJ, McClement S, Harlos M. Dignity therapy: a novel psychotherapeutic intervention for patients near the end of life. J Clin Oncol. 2005;23(24):5520-5. https://doi.org/10.1200/jco.2005.08.391 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2005.08.391
3- Martínez M, Arantzamendi M, Belar A, Carrasco JM, Carvajal A, Rullán M, et al. ‘Dignity therapy’, a promising intervention in palliative care: a comprehensive systematic literature review. Palliat Med. 2017;31(6):492-509. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269216316665562 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0269216316665562
4- Gonzalez-Ling A, Galindo Vázquez O, Rascón-Gasca ML, Robles R, Chochinov HM. Dignity therapy in Mexican lung cancer patients with emotional distress: impact on psychological symptoms and quality of life. Palliat Support Care. 2022;20(1):62-8. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951521000468 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951521000468
5- Monteiro DR, Almeida MA, Kruse MHL. Tradução e adaptação transcultural do instrumento Edmonton Symptom Assessment System para uso em cuidados paliativos. Rev Gaúcha Enferm. 2013;34(2):163-71. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1983-14472013000200021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1983-14472013000200021
6- Pereira F, Santos C. Adaptação cultural da Functional Assessment of Chronic ILLness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-Sp): estudo de validação em doentes oncológicos na fase final de vida. Cad Saúde. 2011:37-45. https://doi.org/10.34632/cadernosdesaude.2011.2820 DOI: https://doi.org/10.12707/RIII1041
7- Dose AM, Hubbard JM, Mansfield AS, McCabe PJ, Krecke CA, Sloan JA. Feasibility and Acceptability of a Dignity Therapy/LifePlan Intervention for Patients With Advanced Cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum. 2017;44(5):194-202. https://doi.org/10.1188/17.onf.e194-e202 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1188/17.ONF.E194-E202
8- Yanfei L, Xiuxia L, Liangying H, Liujiao C, Guanghua L, Kehu Y. Effectiveness of dignity therapy for patients with advanced cancer: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of 10 randomized controlled trials. Depress Anxiety. 2019;1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2023.104624 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2023.104624
9- Kira CM. Identificação da fase final de vida e processo ativo de morte. In: Carvalho RT, Souza MRB, Franck EM, et al, editores. Manual da residência de cuidados paliativos. Barueri, SP. Manole; 2018. p. 970-71.
10- Lee JL, Jeong Y. The Effect of Dignity Therapy on Terminally-Ill Adult Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Iran J Public Health. 2023 Jan;52(1):10-22. https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v52i1.11661 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v52i1.11661
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Revista Paulista de Enfermagem

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Propriedade intelectual
Todo o conteúdo da REPEn, exceto onde está identificado, está licenciado sob uma Licença Creative Commons do tipo atribuição CC-BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.pt_BR).








