Conversations Regarding Personhood: Use of the Patient Dignity Question in an Outpatient Psycho-Oncology Clinic.

The Patient Dignity Question (PDQ) is a single question, which directly asks the patient, "What should I know about you as to help me take the best care of you that I can?" Research has demonstrated that the PDQ enhances quality health care within an inpatient palliative care setting; however, no research to date has examined the PDQ in an outpatient setting, particularly a psycho-oncology setting. The PDQ was administered as part of routine clinical care in an outpatient psycho-oncology clinic to enhance patient-centered care. Individuals diagnosed with cancer ( = 66) were referred for individual psychotherapy primarily for anxiety and/or depression.

Inpatients' Preferences, Beliefs, and Stated Willingness to Pay for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments.

Objectives: Research demonstrates the benefits of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in myriad environments. Yet, the majority of CAM services are offered in outpatient settings. Incorporating CAM into hospital settings may lead to increased patient comfort, well-being, and overall satisfaction with hospital admissions.

Personally Meaningful Rituals: A Way to Increase Compassion and Decrease Burnout among Hospice Staff and Volunteers.

Background: Rituals can increase a sense of connectedness, meaning, and support, especially after the death of those for whom we care. Hospice staff may benefit from the use of personal rituals as they cope with the frequent deaths of their patients, ultimately aiming to provide compassionate care while minimizing burnout.

Objective: This study investigated the role of personally meaningful rituals in increasing compassion and decreasing burnout among hospice staff and volunteers.

Defining a Good Death (Successful Dying): Literature Review and a Call for Research and Public Dialogue.

There is little agreement about what constitutes good death or successful dying. The authors conducted a literature search for published, English-language, peer-reviewed reports of qualitative and quantitative studies that provided a definition of a good death. Stakeholders in these articles included patients, prebereaved and bereaved family members, and healthcare providers (HCPs).

Enhancing legacy in palliative care: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of Dignity Therapy focused on positive outcomes.

Background: Dignity Therapy is a brief psychotherapy that can enhance a sense of legacy while addressing the emotional and existential needs of patients receiving hospice or palliative care. In Dignity Therapy, patients create a formalized "legacy" document that records their most cherished memories, their lessons learned in life, as well as their hopes and dreams for loved ones in the future. To date, this treatment has been studied for its impact on mitigating distress within hospice and palliative care populations and has provided mixed results.

Meaning-centered psychotherapy: a form of psychotherapy for patients with cancer.

Caring for patients with cancer involves addressing their myriad physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs. Although many cancer treatments focus on physical or psychological needs, few treatments specifically target the basic need for meaning and spiritual well-being in this population. This article describes the creation and evolution of a new psychotherapy devoted to these needs, a therapy termed "meaning-centered psychotherapy.

Hospice staff perspectives on Dignity Therapy.

Background: Dignity Therapy is a brief psychotherapy performed with patients at the end of life. Previous research has examined the effects of Dignity Therapy with patients and family, but none has examined hospice staff perceptions of the treatment.

Objective: The study objective was to investigate hospice staff perspectives regarding the impact and value of Dignity Therapy when provided as a clinical service.