Conceptualizations of “good death” and their relationship to technology: A scoping review and discourse analysis
Abstract Background and Aims By the 1960s, medicine experienced technological revolutions that enabled it to control and medicalize death in many circumstances. The modern conceptualization of “good death” emerged in the late 1960s with the beginning of the hospice movement, and palliative care beca...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2023-07-01
|
| Series: | Health Science Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.1374 |
| _version_ | 1827891422293917696 |
|---|---|
| author | Michal Coret Maria Athina (Tina) Martimianakis |
| author_facet | Michal Coret Maria Athina (Tina) Martimianakis |
| author_sort | Michal Coret |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background and Aims By the 1960s, medicine experienced technological revolutions that enabled it to control and medicalize death in many circumstances. The modern conceptualization of “good death” emerged in the late 1960s with the beginning of the hospice movement, and palliative care became an official medical specialty in 1987. This project aims to elucidate how the idea of “good death” has been discussed and perceived since then, as well as the impact of medical technologies on death. Methods The terms “good death,” “technology,” and “palliative care” were searched. One hundred ninety English sources that discussed “good death” explicitly or implicitly, published between 1987 and 2020, were included in the final analysis. Texts were analyzed for discursive themes related to “good death” and technology and demographic data related to authors, geographies, types of text, and date of publication. Results The discourse of a “good death” with the patient being in control dominated the archive. Other discourses include a good death being peaceful and comfortable, one where the patient is not alone, and one that is not prolonged. Medical technology discourses are largely negative in the setting of death. Conclusion Findings indicate a strong critique of the medicalization of death in the literature. This also complements the dominance of discourses on patient autonomy. Medical discourses of “good death” and technology permeate discussion outside of the healthcare context, and there is an absence of spirituality and neutrality in “good death” discourses. The results of this study are relevant for ethics and communication in geriatric and palliative care. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T21:25:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-52f9ff8a9c6d4419a214574d62f54eec |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2398-8835 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T21:25:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Health Science Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-52f9ff8a9c6d4419a214574d62f54eec2023-07-28T08:52:32ZengWileyHealth Science Reports2398-88352023-07-0167n/an/a10.1002/hsr2.1374Conceptualizations of “good death” and their relationship to technology: A scoping review and discourse analysisMichal Coret0Maria Athina (Tina) Martimianakis1Department of Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine University of Toronto Toronto Ontario CanadaWilson Centre and Department of Paediatrics, Temerty Faculty of Medicine University of Toronto Toronto Ontario CanadaAbstract Background and Aims By the 1960s, medicine experienced technological revolutions that enabled it to control and medicalize death in many circumstances. The modern conceptualization of “good death” emerged in the late 1960s with the beginning of the hospice movement, and palliative care became an official medical specialty in 1987. This project aims to elucidate how the idea of “good death” has been discussed and perceived since then, as well as the impact of medical technologies on death. Methods The terms “good death,” “technology,” and “palliative care” were searched. One hundred ninety English sources that discussed “good death” explicitly or implicitly, published between 1987 and 2020, were included in the final analysis. Texts were analyzed for discursive themes related to “good death” and technology and demographic data related to authors, geographies, types of text, and date of publication. Results The discourse of a “good death” with the patient being in control dominated the archive. Other discourses include a good death being peaceful and comfortable, one where the patient is not alone, and one that is not prolonged. Medical technology discourses are largely negative in the setting of death. Conclusion Findings indicate a strong critique of the medicalization of death in the literature. This also complements the dominance of discourses on patient autonomy. Medical discourses of “good death” and technology permeate discussion outside of the healthcare context, and there is an absence of spirituality and neutrality in “good death” discourses. The results of this study are relevant for ethics and communication in geriatric and palliative care.https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.1374discourse analysisgeriatricsgood deathpalliativetechnology |
| spellingShingle | Michal Coret Maria Athina (Tina) Martimianakis Conceptualizations of “good death” and their relationship to technology: A scoping review and discourse analysis Health Science Reports discourse analysis geriatrics good death palliative technology |
| title | Conceptualizations of “good death” and their relationship to technology: A scoping review and discourse analysis |
| title_full | Conceptualizations of “good death” and their relationship to technology: A scoping review and discourse analysis |
| title_fullStr | Conceptualizations of “good death” and their relationship to technology: A scoping review and discourse analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Conceptualizations of “good death” and their relationship to technology: A scoping review and discourse analysis |
| title_short | Conceptualizations of “good death” and their relationship to technology: A scoping review and discourse analysis |
| title_sort | conceptualizations of good death and their relationship to technology a scoping review and discourse analysis |
| topic | discourse analysis geriatrics good death palliative technology |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.1374 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT michalcoret conceptualizationsofgooddeathandtheirrelationshiptotechnologyascopingreviewanddiscourseanalysis AT mariaathinatinamartimianakis conceptualizationsofgooddeathandtheirrelationshiptotechnologyascopingreviewanddiscourseanalysis |