Patient Dignity in Coronary Care: Psychometrics of the Persian Version of the Patient Dignity Inventory

Aim: The Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI) is a valid and reliable questionnaire. This questionnaire was created by Chochinov in 2002 and is used to measure various sources of distress related to the dignity of patients. The present study investigated the characteristics of items, reliability and validity measurements, and the application of the PDI for Persian-speaking cardiac patients.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was performed in Kerman, Iran in 2014.

Methodology: The PDI was translated into Persian. Then, it was distributed among 220 cardiac patients along with another 4 questionnaires related to anxiety, depression, hopelessness, and quality of life. Cronbach’s coefficient alpha was calculated and principal component analysis and correlation analysis were performed. Construct validity was assessed using these validated questionnaires: the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), and SF-36 Health Survey.

Results: Factor analysis supported 4 dimensions, including the loss of human dignity, emotional distress and uncertainty, changes in ability and mental image, and loss of independence. The loading factors ranged between 0.5 and 0.83. The Cronbach's alpha of the questionnaire was high at 0.85, and those of the 4 dimensions were also high, ranging between 0.80 and 0.91. A desirable correlation was found between the Persian version of the Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI-P) and the 4 other questionnaires.

Conclusion: This tool can be useful in measuring coronary patients' dignity and the distress associated with dignity that these patients comprehend, and it can be used in Persian-speaking countries.