Patient and professional centred care in the hospice

Palliative nursing has an underpinning philosophy of caring for patients holistically and being patient centered. The essence of palliative nursing, however, may be compromised when nurses and other health care professionals fail to acknowledge and address their own care in an environment intense with loss, grief, pain and suffering. This paper explores how neglected anxieties and stress, coupled with factors of unconscious motivation, may jeopordise the excellence and expertise in hospice nursing and precipitate professional centred care. Recommendations include implementing and supporting initiatives such as reflection, clinical supervision and nurse debriefing.