Evaluating nursing care of the terminally ill in the community: a case study approach

A multiple case study approach was used to evaluate the care of terminally ill people in the community of one Health Authority. Nine patients, and their visiting district and continuing care nurses, were interviewed to determine their different perspectives on need identification and resolution, using the Standard on Care of the Dying as a framework. Data were subjected to content analysis and categorized in relation to theory emerging from the literature. Needs were felt to be generally well met by the nurses, and patients indicated no serious areas of omission. However, a number of recurrent problems and issues were highlighted and recommendations put forward to redress them.