Dignity in Care

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The Platinum Rule: A New Standard for Person-Centred Care

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How decisions are made and patients cared for are often guided by the Golden Rule, which would have us treat patients as we would want to be treated in similar circumstances. But when patients’ lived experiences and outlooks deviate substantively from our own, we stop being a reliable barometer of their needs, values, and goals. Inaccurate perceptions of their suffering and our personal biases may lead to distorted compassion, marked by an attitude of pity and therapeutic nihilism. In those instances, The Platinum Rule, which would have us consider doing unto patients as they would want done unto themselves, may be a more appropriate standard for achieving optimal person-centered care. This means knowing who patients are as persons, hence guiding treatment decisions and shaping a tone of care based on compassion and respect.

Authors: Chochinov HM

Journal: Journal of palliative medicine

Date published: 2022 May 18

Reference:

Chochinov HM The Platinum Rule: A New Standard for Person-Centred Care. J Palliat Med. 2022 Feb 25. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2022.0075. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35230173

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/jpm.2022.0075

Knowing about you: eliciting dimensions of personhood within tuberculosis care.

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“A prominent theme among studies of the patient experience is the need to feel that patients are treated as unique persons, and that their humanity is expressed in their individuality or ‘personhood’.1 To be known for who you are, rather than as an illness, is central to the concept of dignified care.2 The World Health Organization endorsed the Patients’ Charter for Tuberculosis Care, which describes ‘the right to be treated with respect and dignity’ and ‘the right to quality health care in a dignified environment’.3 These rights are integral to effective health programmes for preventing and treating tuberculosis (TB).3 “

Authors: Lopez C, Bertram-Farough A, Heywood D, Dawson L, Dillon M, Chochinov HM, Plourde P. 

Journal: The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease

Date published: 2021 February 1

Reference:

Lopez C, Bertram-Farough A, Heywood D, Dawson L, Dillon M, Chochinov HM, Plourde P.  (2017, Feb 1). Knowing about you: eliciting dimensions of personhood within tuberculosis care.  Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. Feb 1;21(2):149-153

https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/iuatld/ijtld/2017/00000021/00000002/art00005?crawler=true&mimetype=application/pdf

Death, Dying, and Dignity in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic

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“If the first casualty of war is truth, the first casualty of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for patients nearing death is human dignity. Although the pandemic has claimed ∼6800 Canadian lives, ∼60,000 people have died in Canada since the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic.”

Authors: Chochinov HM, Bolton J, Sareen J.

Journal: Journal of palliative medicine

Date published: 2020 October 23

Reference:

Chochinov HM, Bolton J, Sareen J. Death, Dying, and Dignity in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic.  J Palliat Med. 2020 Oct;23(10):1294-1295. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2020.0406. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7523014/pdf/jpm.2020.0406.pdf