Moving Toward Peace: An Analysis of the Concept of a Good Death

Abstract

One of the primary outcomes of end-of-life care should be the experience of a good death by the patient and the family. Yet there is no clear, shared understanding of what a good death is. This analysis of the concept of a good death has been guided by Rodgers' evolutionary method of concept analysis.(1) Forty-two articles were analyzed. There was the strong agreement that the concept of a good death was highly individual, changeable over time, and based on perspective and experience. Medical, nursing, and patient perspectives, as well as literature in sociology, include the following attributes of a good death, listed in order of frequency of appearance in the literature: being in control, being comfortable, sense of closure, affirmation/value of the dying person recognized, trust in care providers, recognition of impending death, beliefs and values honored, burden minimized, relationships optimized, appropriateness of death, leaving a legacy, and family care.

The experience of caring for a dying client with intellectual disabilities. A qualitative study with direct-caregivers

“…Kehl describes that several elements contribute could contribute to achieve "a good death": being comfortable, sense of closure, value of the dying person recognized and recognition of impending death [21]. These results confirm the themes described in the present study results.…”

“…This can be explained by the fact that the death of a child is conceptual an unnatural and premature event [21,23]. However, these studies consider palliative care in general, not the palliative care of persons with an intellectual disability.…”

La poursuite d’une bonne mort est-elle une utopie ?

“…C'est à partir de cette époque que l'on voit apparaître des publications destinées au personnel de la santé ayant pour objet la définition des caractéristiques de la bonne mort. Dans une importante revue de littérature, Kehl (2006) énumère ces caractéristiques, qui obtiennent l'aval des professionnels de la santé (médecins, infirmières), des spécialistes des sciences humaines et des patients eux-mêmes. Ces attributs sont les suivants.…”

Ageing and Death - Breaking a Taboo

“…However, answering this question from a sociological and humanistic point of view has concerned philosophers, social scientists, care givers and physicians for centuries, and defining the meaning of life has been one of the most profound questions of human existence. In this paper we will focus on the notion of a 'good death' as part of human life (Kehl, 2006) and how ICT could play a role in here. We are really in need of a new vision on life in general and healthcare in particular (Marzano, 2009).…”