Dynamics in the sense of dignity over the course of illness: A longitudinal study into the perspectives of seriously ill patients

Dynamics in the sense of dignity over the course of illness: A longitudinal study into the perspectives of seriously ill patients. Isis E. van Gennip, H. Roeline W. Pasman, Mariska G. Oosterveld-Vlug, Dick L. Willems, Bregje D. Onwuteaka-Philipsen; International Journal of Nursing Studies, Available online 27 June 2015, ISSN 0020-7489, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2015.06.010.



Loss of personal dignity in patients with a serious and progressive disease is associated with psychological suffering and loss of the will to live. Preservation of a sense of dignity in the seriously ill should therefore be a primary concern throughout the illness trajectory from diagnosis onward. While there is a small group of patients for whom dignity remains unaffected by their disease experiences, most patients go through difficult times during which they struggle to maintain or regain their sense of dignity in the face of progressive loss



Source: Dynamics in the sense of dignity over the course of illness: A longitudinal study into the perspectives of seriously ill patients