Application of dignity therapy in patients with palliative care for advanced lung cancer

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of dignity therapy on self-perceived burden and death attitude in patients with palliative care for advanced lung cancer. Methods By convenience sampling, 96 patients who received palliative care for advanced lung cancer in Changzhou Cancer Hospital from January 2017 to June 2018 were selected and divided into the intervention group and control group with 48 cases in each group based on the random number table. The control group was given the routine nursing intervention for advanced lung cancer palliative care patients including health education, psychological intervention, diet guidance, medication instruction, complication prevention. The intervention group was given the routine care combined with the dignity therapy. Follow-up visit was carried out for one month and the self-perceived burden and death attitude of the two groups of patients were evaluated using the Chinese Self-Perceived Burden Scale for Cancer Patients (SPBS-CP) , the Chinese version of the Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-R) . Results There was no significant difference in self-perceived burden and attitude to death between the two groups before intervention (P>0.05) . After intervention, the total score of self-perceived burden in the intervention group was (62.25±2.75) , lower than that in the control group (69.34±3.18) ; the scores of death fear and escape acceptance were (24.48±3.52) , (17.25±3.16) respectively, lower than those in the control group [ (28.16±4.20) , (19.45±3.23) ], and the score of natural acceptance was (21.52±3.25) , higher than the control group with (18.54±3.21) ; the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) . Conclusions Dignity therapy is helpful to alleviate the self-perceived burden of patients with advanced lung cancer treated by palliative care, improve the attitude of patients to death. Key words: Lung neoplasms; Palliative care; Dignity therapy; Self-perceived burden; Attitude to death