Aims: To identify instruments that could assess the quality of dying and death and their psychometric properties. To assess the methodological quality of studies on measurement properties.
Background: A high quality of death is regarded as a goal at the end of life and, therefore, an assessment of the end of life experience is essential. Many instruments have been developed to evaluate the quality of dying and death. The selection of the most appropriate measure to be used in clinical and research settings is crucial.
Design: Psychometric systematic review.
Data sources: We systematically searched ProQuest Medline, SciELO and ProQuest PsycINFO from 1970 - May 2016.
Review methods: Identification and evaluation of instruments that assessed quality of dying and death. Papers were evaluated by two independent reviewers according to the COSMIN checklist with a 4-point scale.
Results: A total of 19 studies were included in this review. Seven instruments were found that were specifically designed for assessing quality of dying and death. A retrospective carer proxy report to evaluate this construct was used in most of the papers. The methodological quality of the studies was fair for most of the psychometric characteristics analyzed.
Conclusion: Many instruments have been developed to assess the quality of dying and death. The Quality of Dying and Death Questionnaire is the best available measure of the quality of dying and death. It is the only questionnaire identified in this review where all psychometric properties according to the COSMIN checklist have been evaluated.
Keywords: end of life; good death; instruments; nursing; outcome measure; psychometric properties; psychometric systematic review; quality of dying and death.
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.