‘Dignity therapy’, a promising intervention in palliative care: A comprehensive systematic literature review

Background:Dignity therapy is psychotherapy to relieve psychological and existential distress in patients at the end of life. Little is known about its effect.Aim:To analyse the outcomes of dignity therapy in patients with advanced life-threatening diseases.Design:Systematic review was conducted. Three authors extracted data of the articles and evaluated quality using Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. Data were synthesized, considering study objectives.Data sources:PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and PsycINFO. The years searched were 2002 (year of dignity therapy development) to January 2016. ‘Dignity therapy’ was used as search term. Studies with patients with advanced life-threatening diseases were included.Results:Of 121 studies, 28 were included. Quality of studies is high. Results were grouped into effectiveness, satisfaction, suitability and feasibility, and adaptability to different diseases and cultures. Two of five randomized control trials applied dignity therapy to patients with high levels...