Background
Cancer is a leading cause of death in Thailand. Thai cancer patients often seek medical treatment while in advanced stages of the disease. Despite a recent increase in this attention given to improve end of life care in Thailand, little research has been undertaken to describe the experiences of those who live at the end of life.
Aims
The aim of this longitudinal ethnographic case study was to explore the experiences of living toward end of life in patients with advanced cancer.
Methods
Series interviews and participant observation were conducted on 15 patients with terminal advanced cancer and 20 family caregivers. The inductive qualitative analysis was applied.
Results
The stories of these informants with advanced and terminal cancer reflected the experiences of living with suffering and moving beyond suffering. Sufferings experienced by informants included suffering related to the ill body and suffering related to care. Adopting religious doctrine, being hopeful, and being surrounded by love and care from family helps the informants move beyond and transcend the sufferings.
Conclusion
The result of this study will be useful for healthcare providers to develop end of life care program in order to improve quality of life of the terminal cancer patients and to promote peaceful death at home.
<p class="paragraph" align="center">ABSTRACT</p><p class="paragraph"><strong>Objectives</strong>: This study examines the significance of Muslim nurses' lived experiences in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) when it comes to End-of-Life (EOL) decisions (ICU)</p><p class="paragraph"><strong>Methods</strong>: The research was carried out at an intensive care unit (ICU) of a government hospital in Central Java, Indonesia. Fourteen nurses were chosen as participants after meeting the inclusion criteria: Muslims with at least three years of experience in the ICU and experienced to involved in end of life decision making process in an ICU. Data were gathered using in-depth interview. The result the transcribed and analyzed by using van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Trustworthiness was established following Lincoln and Guba's criteria.</p><p class="paragraph"><strong>Results: </strong>Four theme themes emerged from nurses' engagement in EOL decision-making. Feeling dilemma, being in uncertain time, receiving overwhelming role, and evading the process. Van Manen's four lived world of body, time, relation, and space are reflected in these subjects.</p><p class="paragraph"><strong>Conclusion</strong>: The purpose of this study was to illustrate the meaning of Muslim nurses' EOL decision-making in the ICU and to affect nursing policy addressing EOL decision-making education in ICU settings.</p>
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