Dignity therapy for effective palliative care: a literature review

Abstract

Dignity therapy for terminally ill patients in end-of-life care helps improve their psychological and spiritual well-being. In this study, the effectiveness and feasibility of dignity therapy in terminally ill patients were analyzed by reviewing previous studies. The review’s findings show that dignity therapy alleviates psychological distress and improves patients' spiritual well-being and dignity. In addition, many patients and their families found emotional support in generativity documents created through dignity therapy. Finally, the possibility of applying dignity therapy to palliative care in Korea in the future was explored. The findings indicate the influence of Eastern culture on recognizing death in patients who receive dignity therapy. Thus, dignity therapy shows promise as a contribution to improving palliative care; however, additional studies are needed to implement effective dignity therapy in the Korean context.