To die comfortably
Scientists called the conditions of a good death
American scientists conducted a review of the literature on death and dying, and as a result identified 11 main signs of a good (as comfortable as possible for a person) death. They presented their findings in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (Meier et al., Defining a Good Death (Successful Dying): Literature Review and a Call for Research and Public Dialogue).
The researchers collected the points of view of three groups related to death: patients, their family members and representatives of the healthcare system. "For the first time, the positions of all interested parties were united. Of course, death is a very difficult topic. People don't like talking about her. However, it is very important to honestly and openly discuss how each of us wants to end our days," said the head of the study Dilip Jeste (in a press release from UC San Diego Successful Dying: Researchers Define the Elements of a "Good Death" – VM).
In total, scientists have identified 11 parameters important for a good death: the ability to determine its conditions, the absence of pain, spiritual and religious dimensions, emotional well-being, a sense of completion of life, the choice of treatment, dignity, the presence of family, quality of life, relationships with doctors and "other".
Representatives of all three groups called three topics important (emotional well-being, absence of pain, the ability to determine the conditions of death). Otherwise, opinions differed. For example, for patients, the spiritual dimension of death turned out to be more important than for their family members (for the latter, self-esteem and completeness of life came first). Medical workers took an intermediate position.
However, the authors of the study argue that ultimately it is the patient's voice that should be the most significant. "Usually dying people know what they need, and it makes them feel better if they talk about it," said Jest
In 2015, Swedish scientists developed a five-minute online test that allows, in their opinion, to adequately assess the likelihood of dying in the next five years – in middle-aged men and women (40-70 years). The test consists of 13 questions for men and 11 for women.
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31.03.2016