Cross-sectional study of perceived importance of Good Death Inventory components among patients with advanced cancer and family caregivers

Although the concept of a good death is central to palliative care policy and practice, empirical evidence is largely derived from high-income Western or single-country contexts, limiting cross-setting relevance. A cross-sectional study using the 54-item Good Death Inventory, recruited adults with stage III or IV cancer and family caregivers in Hong Kong, mainland China, Turkey, Greece, and Gaza. Primary outcomes were Good Death Inventory importance scores. In this study of 640 patients and 419 family caregivers, Good Death Inventory mean scores differed significantly across 5 setting, with the highest total scores in Gaza and Greece, where participants placed greater emphasis on emotional peace, family harmony, and spiritual acceptance, and the lowest in Hong Kong and Turkey. Patient-cargiver differences in total and core domain scores were not significant. The authors conclude that end-of-life care and discussions should address shared priorities, while remaining attentive to local clinical, family, cultural, and health-related contexts.