'Making sense': nurses' experiences of changing practice in caring for dying patients in New Zealand

To explore nurses' experiences of a top-down change that involved the introduction of the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient (LCP).

Using a qualitative design, two focus groups were conducted with a total of ten nurses and five semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with senior nurse managers.

The nurses viewed their experience with the LCP positively, highlighting an improvement in their knowledge base regarding care of the dying. 'Making sense' was a key theme that reflected how the nurses attempted to manage the impact of the change on their own practice and on the nursing team.

Organisations need to invest skilled manpower, time, and resources into supporting nurses in their transitions. The benefits of such investment are an increased likelihood of implementing evidence-based care and sustained practice and organisational change. For patients and their families and friends this investment will result in tangible improvements in the delivery of treatment and care at a time in their lives when they are most vulnerable.