LAUSR

BACKGROUND How patients preserve their sense of dignity in life is an important area of palliative care that remains to be explored. AIMS To describe patients' perspectives of what constitutes a dignified life within a palliative care context. METHODS Twelve palliative care patients were interviewed about their views on living with dignity. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS What constitutes a dignified life during end-of-life care was captured by the theme 'I may be ill but I am still a human being' and presented under the categories 'preserving my everyday life and personhood', 'having my human value maintained by others through 'coherence' and 'being supported by society at large'. CONCLUSION Patients' sense of dignity can be preserved by their own attitudes and behaviours, by others and through public support. Health professionals need to adopt a dignity-conserving approach, for which awareness of their own attitudes and behaviours is crucial.