Background: Nurses providing end-of-life care in acute care units often suffer from moral distress. Reflective practice (RP) may enable these nurses to realise desirable practice and then decrease their moral distress. Aims: This study aims to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of an RP intervention on moral distress. Methods: This pilot study has a one group pre-test/post-test design. Nurses working in acute care units were recruited. An RP intervention was tested that included three 45–75-minute group sessions using the Johns' model for structured reflection (2006) . Results: Most nurse participants (16/19) completed the intervention and noticed changes in their practice (13/16). The results did not show a significant difference (3.97 points, p=0.62) in the mean of the pre- and post-intervention moral distress. Conclusion: The RP intervention seemed feasible and acceptable to participants. Other studies are needed to demonstrate the effects of RP on the moral distress of nurses.

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to describe the experience of caring for individuals at the end of life by five nurses working in curative care units. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain a better understanding of the meaning nurses give to this experience. The analysis of results, based on Giorgi's phenomenological method (1997), highlighted a central meaning: it is a human experience fraught with paradoxes where the bedside nurse feels both privileged to be accompanying these individuals at the end of their lives and torn between the medical priority given to curative care and the lesser priority given to palliative care. This study offers relevant options for nurse managers wanting to improve these nurses' work environment and the quality of care for individuals at the end of life.

The objective of this study was to describe the experience of caring for individuals at the end of life by five nurses working in curative care units. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain a better understanding of the meaning nurses give to this experience. The analysis of results, based on Giorgi's phenomenological method (1997), highlighted a central meaning: it is a human experience fraught with paradoxes where the bedside nurse feels both privileged to be accompanying these individuals at the end of their lives and torn between the medical priority given to curative care and the lesser priority given to palliative care. This study offers relevant options for nurse managers wanting to improve these nurses' work environment and the quality of care for individuals at the end of life.

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