Nurses’ experience of caring for palliative-stage patients in a hospital setting in Sweden

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe nurses' experiences of caring for palliative-stage patients in a hospital setting.Methods: A qualitative study based on six interviews with strategically selected nurses in an oncology department in western Sweden. The interviews were analyzed using a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach.Results: The results identified three themes: 1) Developing professional self-confidence; 2) Developing communication skills; and 3) Having time for reflection. Each theme has at least two subthemes.Conclusions: Caring for palliative-stage patients requires a combination of knowledge, experience and professional and personal self-confidence. Nurses need regular coaching by staff and professionals with more experience dealing with and processing suffering, death and related existential issues. Nurses need to separate work from private life and have satisfying and relaxing leisure activities.

Palliative and end-of-life care’s barriers for older adults

“…A good knowledge by nurses of palliative and EOLC can improve quality of health services provided to clients. Quality palliative care requires medical and technical knowledge, experience of palliative care, professional and personal self-confidence when caring for dying patients (Pennbrant et al , 2015). The strategy adopted by nurses in this study was to look for information independently, via the internet.…”

“…Communication skills require experience in talking with patients about treatment and pathophysiology of the disease. The quality of communication with patients depends on the nurse-patient relationship (Pennbrant et al , 2015). Senior nurses have more experience in communicating so it is generally easier to establish good communication with patients.…”

Hambatan Perawat Dalam Memberikan Perawatan Paliatif Kepada Pasien: Kajian Literatur Integratif

“…Semakin meningkatnya penyakit penyakit kronis dan yang mengancam jiwa menyebabkan kebutuhan akan perawatan paliatif juga semakin tinggi dan harus tersedia pada setiap level perawatan (Kahveci et al, 2017). Petugas kesehatan termasuk perawat memegang peranan yang sangat penting dalam lingkup perawatan paliatif karena selalu ada bersama dengan pasien pada setiap proses dan tahapan penyakitnya (Pennbrant et al, 2015; Schroeder & Lorenz, 2018).…”

“…Banyaknya tanggung jawab yang harus dilakukan oleh perawat menyebabkan perawat memiliki banyak pengalaman yang bukan hanya berkaitan dengan aspek fisik dari pekerjaan perawat tetapi juga aspek afektif seperti emosi, nilai dan etika professional yang secara langsung berkontribusi terhadap praktik keperawatan (Pennbrant et al, 2015;Terzioglu & Uslu Sahan, 2015).…”

A Phenomenological Analysis of Experiences and Practices of Nurses Providing Palliative and End of Life Care

“…Therefore, nurses have important responsibilities in providing care of palliative and end of life which conforms to clinical, cultural and ethical standards (Terzioğlu et al., 2015). Given this responsibility, nurses have many experiences relating not only to the physical aspects of nursing work, but also to the affective aspect, which includes emotions and professional and ethical values, and which provides direction for nursing practices (Pennbrant et al., 2015; Terzioğlu et al., 2015). Some studies highlight that working closely with terminally ill or dying patients can place a heavy burden on nurses.…”