Going on a journey: understanding palliative care nursing

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Palliative Care
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Palliative care nursing is a specialized field requiring unique understanding and skills.
• Nurses' experiences in palliative care significantly impact patient outcomes and their own professional development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and describe the diverse ways Australian nurses perceive their experiences as palliative care nurses.
• To identify the core themes and understandings central to the lived experience of palliative care professionals.

Main Methods:

• Phenomenography was employed as the research approach.
• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 nurses in a regional Australian palliative care unit.
• Interview transcripts were analyzed to identify distinct ways of understanding the nursing experience.

Main Results:

• Five key ways of understanding the palliative care nursing experience were identified: 'doing everything you can,' 'developing closeness,' 'working as a team,' 'creating meaning about life,' and 'maintaining myself.'

Conclusions:

• Palliative care nurses perceive their role as a journey with patients and families through life's final stages.
• This journey is a process of personal development, influencing nurses' meaning-making and sense of self.
• The findings offer valuable insights for palliative care practitioners, managers, and educators.