Background and aim: Patients with advanced illness frequently attend emergency services, accompanied by their relatives. The objective of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of relatives, related to loss and preservation of dignity in end-of-life care in the emergency department.
Materials and methods: Descriptive qualitative study. Eighteen in-depth interviews were conducted in the period between January 2020 and June 2020. The Atlas.Ti ® version 9 programme was used as support in the analysis of the speeches.
Results: 3 themes emerged: 1) "the urgency of dignity" which includes aspects related to going to the emergency room and moments when dignity can be threatened; 2) "dignity in the hands of health professionals" which deals with attitudes and gaps in communication skills of professionals: 3) "care from the perspective of dignity in emergencies" which includes conditions that can help preserve dignity and those aspects of the health system that interfere in the maintenance of dignity.
Conclusion: The care of these patients and their families requires specific protocols that include a humane and dignified approach, as well as intervention programmes aimed at health professionals.
Keywords: Dignity; Emergency hospital services; Family: disease progression; Professional-family relations; Qualitative research.
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