Abstract
Dignity therapy is a psychosocial intervention provided at the end of life to improve patient outcomes, but many persons cannot complete it because of health decline. Patients also reprioritize their life plans as death becomes imminent. As part of meeting standards to provide psychosocial palliative care simultaneously with cancer treatment, we provided a dignity therapy/life plan intervention to 18 patients with advanced pancreatic or lung cancer receiving cancer treatment. The study aim was to evaluate patient-reported outcomes of dignity therapy/life plan. Dignity therapy entailed interviews during 3 outpatient oncology encounters, which then became a legacy document for family. Participants documented life goals as their life plan. Distress, quality of life, spirituality, dignity, and purpose in life were measured at baseline, immediately after intervention, and 3 months later. No variables were significantly different from baseline to postintervention and 3 months later, except for less distress between baseline and 3 months (P =.04). Although this intervention did not show improvements in outcomes, patients with advanced disease receiving active treatment typically experience worsening symptoms overall. Maintaining psychosocial outcomes may be preventing further morbidity in an advanced cancer population during treatment and bears further exploration. Given our small sample size, further research is warranted.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 400-406 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 1 2018 |
Fingerprint
Keywords
- Dignity therapy
- life goals
- lung neoplasms
- palliative care
- pancreatic neoplasms
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Community and Home Care
- Advanced and Specialized Nursing
Cite this
Outcomes of a Dignity Therapy/Life Plan Intervention for Patients with Advanced Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy. / Dose, Ann M.; McCabe, Pamela J.; Krecke, Catherine A.; Sloan, Jeff A.
In: Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, Vol. 20, No. 4, 01.08.2018, p. 400-406.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Outcomes of a Dignity Therapy/Life Plan Intervention for Patients with Advanced Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy
AU - Dose, Ann M.
AU - McCabe, Pamela J.
AU - Krecke, Catherine A.
AU - Sloan, Jeff A
PY - 2018/8/1
Y1 - 2018/8/1
N2 - Dignity therapy is a psychosocial intervention provided at the end of life to improve patient outcomes, but many persons cannot complete it because of health decline. Patients also reprioritize their life plans as death becomes imminent. As part of meeting standards to provide psychosocial palliative care simultaneously with cancer treatment, we provided a dignity therapy/life plan intervention to 18 patients with advanced pancreatic or lung cancer receiving cancer treatment. The study aim was to evaluate patient-reported outcomes of dignity therapy/life plan. Dignity therapy entailed interviews during 3 outpatient oncology encounters, which then became a legacy document for family. Participants documented life goals as their life plan. Distress, quality of life, spirituality, dignity, and purpose in life were measured at baseline, immediately after intervention, and 3 months later. No variables were significantly different from baseline to postintervention and 3 months later, except for less distress between baseline and 3 months (P =.04). Although this intervention did not show improvements in outcomes, patients with advanced disease receiving active treatment typically experience worsening symptoms overall. Maintaining psychosocial outcomes may be preventing further morbidity in an advanced cancer population during treatment and bears further exploration. Given our small sample size, further research is warranted.
AB - Dignity therapy is a psychosocial intervention provided at the end of life to improve patient outcomes, but many persons cannot complete it because of health decline. Patients also reprioritize their life plans as death becomes imminent. As part of meeting standards to provide psychosocial palliative care simultaneously with cancer treatment, we provided a dignity therapy/life plan intervention to 18 patients with advanced pancreatic or lung cancer receiving cancer treatment. The study aim was to evaluate patient-reported outcomes of dignity therapy/life plan. Dignity therapy entailed interviews during 3 outpatient oncology encounters, which then became a legacy document for family. Participants documented life goals as their life plan. Distress, quality of life, spirituality, dignity, and purpose in life were measured at baseline, immediately after intervention, and 3 months later. No variables were significantly different from baseline to postintervention and 3 months later, except for less distress between baseline and 3 months (P =.04). Although this intervention did not show improvements in outcomes, patients with advanced disease receiving active treatment typically experience worsening symptoms overall. Maintaining psychosocial outcomes may be preventing further morbidity in an advanced cancer population during treatment and bears further exploration. Given our small sample size, further research is warranted.
KW - Dignity therapy
KW - life goals
KW - lung neoplasms
KW - palliative care
KW - pancreatic neoplasms
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85050139332&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85050139332&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/NJH.0000000000000461
DO - 10.1097/NJH.0000000000000461
M3 - Article
C2 - 30063634
AN - SCOPUS:85050139332
VL - 20
SP - 400
EP - 406
JO - Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing
JF - Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing
SN - 1522-2179
IS - 4
ER -