An examination of patients’, family members’, and nurses’ perceptions of a good death in palliative care clinics: mixed-methods study

Ensuring a good death is one of the primary goals of palliative care. However, since perceptions of a good death can vary from person to person, they can directly influence the quality of care. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate how patients, family members providing care, and nurses in palliative care clinics perceive a good death. The study examined the concept of “good death” from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. The research design was cross-sectional, single-blind, and descriptive mixed-methods. Quantitative data were collected from a sample of 135 participants using a Good Death Scale. For the qualitative dimension, a descriptive qualitative research approach was adopted, and the data were evaluated using content analysis. The study revealed that the quantitative and qualitative findings were largely consistent with one another. In the qualitative section, the central themes of ‘Making sense of the end’ and ‘Alleviating the burden of death’ were identified. In the quantitative section, it was observed that the items showed significant correlations with the relevant factors and that the factors generally possessed an adequate level of internal consistency. The study demonstrates that a good death is a multifaceted concept that encompasses not only physical but also psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions. Therefore, it is important to adopt holistic and patient-centered approaches in end-of-life care that prioritize the individual’s preferences, values, and needs.