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Mah K, Hales S, Weerakkody I, Liu L, Fernandes S, Rydall A, Vehling S, Zimmermann C, Rodin G. Measuring the quality of dying and death in advanced cancer: Item characteristics and factor structure of the Quality of Dying and Death Questionnaire. Palliat Med 2019; 33:369-380. [PMID: 30561236 DOI: 10.1177/0269216318819607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Background: Ensuring a good death in individuals with advanced disease is a fundamental goal of palliative care. However, the lack of a validated patient-centered measure of quality of dying and death in advanced cancer has limited quality assessments of palliative-care interventions and outcomes. Aim: To examine item characteristics and the factor structure of the Quality of Dying and Death Questionnaire in advanced cancer. Design: Cross-sectional study with pooled samples. Setting/participants: Caregivers of deceased advanced-cancer patients ( N = 602; mean ages = 56.39–62.23 years), pooled from three studies involving urban hospitals, a hospice, and a community care access center in Ontario, Canada, completed the Quality of Dying and Death Questionnaire 8–10 months after patient death. Results: Psychosocial and practical item ratings demonstrated negative skewness, suggesting positive perceptions; ratings of symptoms and function were poorer. Of four models evaluated using confirmatory factor analyses, a 20-item, four-factor model, derived through exploratory factor analysis and comprising Symptoms and Functioning, Preparation for Death, Spiritual Activities, and Acceptance of Dying, demonstrated good fit and internally consistent factors (Cronbach’s α = 0.70–0.83). Multiple regression analyses indicated that quality of dying was most strongly associated with Symptoms and Functioning and that quality of death was most strongly associated with Preparation for Death ( p < 0.001). Conclusion: A new four-factor model best characterized quality of dying and death in advanced cancer as measured by the Quality of Dying and Death Questionnaire. Future research should examine the value of adding a connectedness factor and evaluate the sensitivity of the scale to detect intervention effects across factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Mah
- 1 Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sarah Hales
- 1 Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.,2 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Isuri Weerakkody
- 1 Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lucy Liu
- 1 Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Samantha Fernandes
- 1 Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Anne Rydall
- 1 Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sigrun Vehling
- 3 Department of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,4 Palliative Care Unit, Department of Oncology, Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation with section of Pneumology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Camilla Zimmermann
- 1 Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.,2 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,5 Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,6 Princess Margaret Cancer Research Institute, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.,7 Global Institute of Psychosocial, Palliative and End-of-Life Care, University of Toronto and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Gary Rodin
- 1 Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.,2 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,6 Princess Margaret Cancer Research Institute, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.,7 Global Institute of Psychosocial, Palliative and End-of-Life Care, University of Toronto and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Weerakkody I, Hales S, Fernandes S, Emmerson D, O'Neill W, Zimmermann C, Rodin G. The Quality of Dying and Death in a Residential Hospice. J Pain Symptom Manage 2018; 56:567-574. [PMID: 30031219 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2018.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Revised: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Residential hospices may be an optimal compromise between home and hospital settings for end-of-life care, but there has been little systematic research regarding the quality of dying and death in such locations. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to assess the quality of dying and death of patients who received end-of-life care in a residential hospice and its relationship to hospice length of stay (LOS) and prior receipt of palliative care. METHODS A total of 100 caregivers of patients who died in a residential hospice in downtown Toronto, Canada, were recruited four to six months after patient's death. The quality of dying and death was measured, based on interviews with bereaved caregivers, using the Quality of Dying and Death (QODD) questionnaire. RESULTS The overall mean QODD score was 68.85 ± 11.62, which is in the intermediate ("neither good nor bad") range (30-70) of the scale. The lowest QODD subscale score was on the Transcendence subscale, which evaluates death-related concerns; this was 59.48 ± 25.37, with ratings in 14.6% of the sample in the "terrible to poor" (0-29) range. QODD scores were higher for patients with hospice LOS of more than one week (72.21 ± 9.64) than for those with a shorter LOS (60.38 ± 11.92) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Overall quality of dying and death was perceived as average to above average, in an urban residential hospice, although death-related distress was present in a substantial minority of patients. The association of better QODD with hospice LOS of more than one week may be due to better clinical status on admission and/or longer duration of time that is needed to achieve optimal outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isuri Weerakkody
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sarah Hales
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Samantha Fernandes
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | - Camilla Zimmermann
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Global Institute of Psychosocial, Palliative and End-of-Life Care (GIPPEC), University of Toronto and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gary Rodin
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Kensington Health Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Global Institute of Psychosocial, Palliative and End-of-Life Care (GIPPEC), University of Toronto and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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