Advanced illness is a “disease with a progressive and gradual course, with varying degrees of impairment of autonomy and quality of life, with variable response to specific treatment, which will progress towards death in the medium term” [1]. These patients require palliative care at the end of life by multidisciplinary teams [2]. However, the multiplicity of symptoms as the disease progresses and the emotional impact on family members means that they are referred to the emergency department [3]. Mortality in hospital emergency departments stands at 0.2 % in relation to 10–15 % of overall mortality with two patient profiles: the acute patient with severe pathology and unexpected death, and on the other hand, the more frequent patient with advanced disease [4].

Patients with advanced illness often visit emergency services for various reasons, such as palliative sedation and control of refractory symptoms [5], [6]. In these cases, most families reorganize themselves to facilitate the accompaniment and care of their relative in the emergency department, providing emotional support and establishing communication about the patient's health status [7], [8]. The immediacy of the emergency response, care at all times, and the confidence and support offered by the continuous presence of professionals are characteristics of these services, which make it an easily accessible place for sick family members to be attended [9].

Fundamental care is a professional responsibility in an emergency department [10]. However, dignity may be relegated to the background as it is not a specialized service that cares for patients who require care at the end of life [11]. “Dignity as a human right refers to the inherent merit and value of a person and is closely linked to respect, recognition, self-esteem and the possibility of making one's own decisions” [12]. Kant approaches dignity as an “absolute inner value”, which is based on the autonomy of the human being and at the same time allows for respectful treatment between people [13].

Nevertheless, the process of dying with dignity in the emergency department is complex for both patients and their relatives due to the difficulty of the unpredictable, noisy environment, which lacks privacy and is shared with other patients [14], [15].

Dignity is therefore an inherent value of human beings and must be present in the health care received by patients in emergency services. The phenomenon of dignity in emergency services has been explored from the professionals' point of view [16]. However, there are no studies that analyze the preservation of the dignity of patients with advanced diseases in the emergency services from the experiences of their relatives.