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Listening to How Experienced Nurses Care for the Dying Husband and His Spouse
Lana McLouth Kanacki1, Betty Wehtje Winslow
1Lana McLouth Kanacki, PhD, RN, is an associate professor at Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California. Betty Wehtje Winslow, PhD, RN, is a professor at Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California.
Background:
Although most nurses in critical care settings provide nursing care for marital couples when 1 of the partners is dying, this is a relatively new area of research.
Objective:
The aim of this study is to describe the nature of nursing care provided for marital couples in the critical care unit when the husbands were dying.
Method:
A qualitative interpretive description was used to construct this study. Data were collected by conducting semistructured individual interviews with 15 experienced critical care nurses in quiet conference rooms. The initial sample was recruited by invitation, and then followed by the snowball method. Institutional review board approval was obtained at the supporting institution. Interviews were recorded and transcribed to facilitate analysis. Data were analyzed line by line with constant comparison to formulate key ideas and then organized into themes.
Results:
Three themes were identified: (a) experienced nurses support the wife and husband, (b) experienced nurses connect spiritually with the wife and husband, and (c) experienced nurses provide skillful care for the wife and her husband who is dying. These themes form a description of the nature of nursing care needed by novice nurses. Emphasis for novice nurses includes focusing on the uniqueness of the marital couple as the patient, being less task oriented, and being more emotionally sensitive to the needs of the marital dyad. In this study, experienced nurses relay the importance of engaging self with these couples and being present at the end of life.
Discussion:
Future research directions are to explore innovative ways nurses may provide spiritual and emotional support to these marital couples and to measure what care activities the wife deems most beneficial for her and her husband at his end of life.