District nurses' views on the role of rehabilitation in palliative care

Recently, there has been a surge of interest in the notion that rehabilitation should become an integral part of palliative care. The World Health Organization (WHO; 1987) asserts that integrating a rehabilitative approach will assist in achieving the aims of palliative care by enhancing the patient's quality of life. However, WHO suggests that health-care workers have not yet appreciated the opportunities presented by this approach in order to be able to succeed in achieving the aims of palliative care. District nurses (DNs) are in a key position to integrate the philosophy of rehabilitation and their approach to palliative care. A small study was undertaken to investigate the beliefs of DNs in relation to rehabilitation in palliative care, specifically with regards to patients with cancer. The findings demonstrated that DNs generally support the view that rehabilitation has a role to play in palliative care. However, barriers which, according to the literature, prevent a rehabilitative approach being used were identified as problematic for this sample group. The findings have helped to identify areas that should be addressed; these have implications for clinical practice, management of resouces and education.