Views of nurses, patients and patients' families regarding palliative nursing care

This article presents the findings of a 3-phase project, that used the qualitative approach of storytelling to examine the degree of congruency between the perceptions of nurses, patients and patients' families respectively, in relation to the nature and effects of palliative nursing care. The major difference in the stories was the slight emphasis on the personal qualities palliative nurses bring to their work and the activities in which they engage. Nurses emphasized their work activities, whereas patients and relatives gave equal emphasis to the positive and negative aspects of nurses' qualities and activities.