Defining Dignity at End of Life: One Question to Ask Hospice Patients

By Lizzy MilesI start every new hospice patient interaction with a hello. I introduce myself and then ask for permission to sit and visit. It is not uncommon for the patient to start off on guard, wary. By the time patients meet me, they have been through a lot of medical interactions. They have been asked a lot of questions.I tell them I have just one question. I sometimes notice an exhale.Whew. She ’s not going to grill me.Dignity In Care, developed from research byDr. Harvey Max Chochinov, starts with the Patient Dignity Question (PDQ). It is a simple, open-ended question: “What do I need to know about you as a person to give you the best care possible?”The answer to this question will lead you to have a greater understanding of the needs, desires and identity of the person beyond their being a “patient.” There is no wrong answer to this question, despite what family members might think.One time a patient responded with, “I am a lifelong Cubs fan.”The nurse, chaplain and I made small talk with the patient for a few minutes about baseball, The Cubs, and a broken curse.The patient ’s wife scowled and then apologized to us. “I’m sorry, he gets off track.”“He’s not off track,” I responded. “This is what’s important to him right now.”What weweren ’t doing was talking about his illness. He was sick of talking about his symptoms, his diagnosis, how he was feeling. For once, he wanted to feel normal.The answers to “the dignity question” as I...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - Category: Palliative Care Tags: Chochinov Cubs dignity dignity therapy hospice lizzy miles social worker Source Type: blogs