Quality of Death: A Dimensional Analysis of Palliative Care in the Nursing Home

Abstract

Palliative care in nursing homes is increasingly discussed, investigated, and implemented, yet the term lacks conceptual clarity and definition. Furthermore, the components, process, and outcomes of palliative care as it is delivered in the nursing home have not been clearly articulated. This paper provides a dimensional analysis of palliative care in the nursing home to elucidate the concept and its context and consequences, as portrayed through available literature. As a method, dimensional analysis is rooted in symbolic interaction and grounded theory. As such, it provides a useful tool with which to analyze existing literature on palliative care in the nursing home. In this dimensional analysis, communication is the dominant perspective of palliative care in the nursing home. This analysis demonstrates that the consequences of palliative care in the nursing home are personhood and identity, and quality of death rather than quality of life. These consequences suggest that the focus of palliative care should be on the nursing home resident and the dying experience, rather than quality of life and issues around living that exclude the dying experience and do not acknowledge the personhood and identity of the resident. These elements represent a shift in focus away from one that does not include death, toward the dying experience, and that such a change in focus is necessary to achieve palliative care in the nursing home. Finally, the analysis elucidates potential outcome measures for the study of palliative care in nursing homes and outlines possibilities for further research.