Revisiting the Patient Dignity Question: Paying Attention to Personhood

The Patient Dignity Question (PDQ)-What do I need to know about you as a person to give you the best care possible-was designed as a simple and practical way to elicit personhood in the clinical setting. For the PDQ to be effective, however, clinicians must think of it as the basis of a conversation to be had rather than simply a question to be asked. This special report provides an overview of the PDQ, including the literature that has emerged since it was published over a decade ago, the importance of placing personhood on one's clinical radar, and guidance on how to optimize its application.