Good Death Inventory: A Measure for Evaluating Good Death from the Bereaved Family Member's Perspective

Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop a measure for evaluating good death from the bereaved family member's perspective, and to examine the validity and reliability of the assessment. A cross-sectional anonymous questionnaire was administered to bereaved family members of cancer patients who had died in a regional cancer center from September 2004 to February 2006. We measured the Good Death Inventory (GDI), Care Evaluation Scale, and an overall care satisfaction scale. A retest was conducted one month after sending the questionnaire. Of the 344 questionnaires sent to bereaved family members, 189 responses were analyzed (57%). A factor analysis of the responses to the GDI identified 10 core domains: ''environmental comfort,'' ''life completion,'' ''dying in a favorite place,'' ''maintaining hope and pleasure,'' ''independence,'' ''physical and psychological comfort,'' ''good relationship with medical staff,'' ''not being a burden to others,'' ''good relationship with family,'' and ''being respected as an individual.'' Eight optional domains also were identified: ''religious and spiritual comfort,'' ''receiving enough treatment,'' ''control over the future,'' ''feeling that one's life is worth living,'' ''unawareness of death,'' ''pride and beauty,'' ''natural death,'' and ''preparation for death.'' The GDI had sufficient concurrent validity with the Care Evaluation Scale and overall care satisfaction, sufficient internal consistency (alpha ¼ 0.74e0.95), and acceptable testeretest reliability (ICC ¼ 0.38e0.72). Finally, we developed a short version of the GDI. The GDI is a valid scale to measure end-of-life care comprehensive outcomes from the bereaved family member's perspective in Japan. J Pain Symptom Manage

The unmet palliative care needs of those dying with dementia

“…This suggests that clinicians and caregivers should consider the wishes and opinions of the patient and family as to what they consider a good death, and caution must be emphasised to clinicians and caregivers ensuring that their own perceptions of a good death does not bias or overpower the opinions of the patient and family. A dearth of qualitative research has been conducted in an effort to conceptualise a good death for terminally ill patients (Seale, 1991;Steinhauser et al, 2002;Tong et al, 2003;Beckstrand et al, 2006;Kehl, 2006;Rietjens et al, 2006;Miyashita et al, 2008); however, due to the complexity and vulnerability of these participants, experiences of families and caregivers on this topic tend to appear more frequently in the literature (Morita et al, 2002;Bosek et al, 2003;Teno et al, 2004;Shiozaki et al, 2005;Papastavrou et al, 2007;Sampson, 2011;Lee et al, 2013;van der Steen et al, 2013). Vig et al (2002) described good deaths as being pain free, dying in one's sleep, quickly, without suffering, and without knowledge of impending death.…”

Metastatic cancer mimicking mechanical low back pain: a case report

“…Studies have shown that preparation for death is a key factor in making the dying process more favorable for patients and their families. 32,33 Miyashita et al 33 identified 'dying in a favorite place' as a core domain in dying a 'good death.' Our patient survived approximately 4 months after diagnosis, allowing her to return to her native Germany for her waning days.…”

Factors that influence the efficacy of bereavement life review therapy for spiritual well-being: a qualitative analysis

“…Questionnaires about the palliative care service were mailed to bereaved families in June 2007 and again in August 2007 to non-responding families. The detailed methods of the larger study have been given elsewhere [21,22].…”