Misurare la dignità per prendersi cura: il ruolo del Patient Dignity Inventory nella cronicità avanzata

Dignity is increasingly recognized as a fundamental dimension of healthcare quality and person-centred care. Although extensively studied in palliative and end-of-life settings, its assessment in individuals living with advanced chronic illness remains limited. The Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI), originally developed by Chochinov and colleagues for patients with advanced cancer, has demonstrated good psychometric properties and has progressively been applied in broader clinical contexts. This narrative review examines the theoretical and clinical relevance of dignity assessment in advanced chronic illness and discusses the potential role of the Patient Dignity Inventory in this population. Evidence suggests that dignity is influenced by physical, psychological, existential, relational, and social factors, many of which are highly prevalent among people with chronic progressive conditions. The review also presents the rationale for the development of the Chronic Illness Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI-CI), a contextualized adaptation aimed at improving the assessment of dignity-related concerns in patients with advanced chronic diseases. Measuring dignity may contribute to identifying unmet needs, supporting individualized care planning, and promoting outcomes that are meaningful to patients. Further research is needed to validate dignity assessment tools in chronic illness populations and to explore dignity as a potential patient-reported and nursing-sensitive outcome.