Understanding their needs is the key

The opportunity to die with dignity is recognised by health professionals the world over as one of the most fundamental of all human rights. What is often forgotten is that notions of a good death vary considerably between cultures (and individuals within a culture), raising the risk of misunderstanding and cultural insensitivity.1 This need not be the case, as our experiences show. Even in ethnically and religiously diverse modern Britain, receiving high quality care at the end of life is possible and may, we hope, soon be probable for all.2 3 Realising this aspiration will need fundamental changes on at least three fronts: tackling institutional discrimination in the provision of palliative care, progress in incorporating transcultural medicine into medical and nursing curriculums, and a greater willingness on the part of healthcare providers to embrace complexity and …