Discussing life story, forgiveness, heritage, and legacy with patients with life-limiting illnesses
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 27, 2026

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
Robyn M Keall1, Phyllis N Butow, Karen E Steinhauser
1University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. robyn.keal@sydney.edu.au
Aim:
To explore the perceptions that individuals with life-limiting illnesses have about their lives, both positive and negative, and their messages to future generations.
Methods:
A preparation and life completion intervention (Outlook) was assessed for acceptability and feasibility in an Australian palliative care setting. This paper reports a qualitative analysis of the participants' responses to the intervention. The intervention sessions were audiotaped, transcribed, and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Results:
Eleven participants were recruited from inpatient and outpatient hospital and hospice settings. Three overarching themes were identified: life review, current situation, and legacy/principles.
Conclusions:
The intervention provided insights into individual palliative care patients' sense of self, views of their current situation, hopes, and how they would like to be remembered.
Related Concept Videos
Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
Continuing Care
Nursing Ethical Principles II
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's cancer...
Ethical Dilemmas II
Techniques of therapeutic communication I: Active Listening, Sharing Observations, Validation, and Using Touch
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...
Techniques of Therapeutic Communication II: Focusing, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
This therapeutic technique can also be used when a patient brings up pertinent information during a health-related conversation. The...