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Brazilian Neonatal Nurses' Palliative Care Experiences.
Fernanda de Castro de Oliveira1, Lisa M Cleveland, Umber Darilek
1Women's Hospital (Ms de Castro de Oliveira), University of Campinas (Drs Silva and Carmona), Sao Paulo, Brazil; and UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas (Dr Cleveland and Ms Darilek).
The Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing
|October 26, 2018
Summary
Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses in Brazil often feel unprepared to provide palliative care (PC). They experience grief and identify with families, highlighting the need for better PC education and emotional support.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Palliative Care
- Neonatal Intensive Care
Background:
- Palliative care (PC) aims to reduce suffering and enhance quality of life.
- Limited palliative care training exists for neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses in Brazil.
- The experiences of these nurses require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the palliative care experiences of Brazilian NICU nurses.
- To understand the challenges and needs of nurses providing PC in a NICU setting.
Main Methods:
- Exploratory, qualitative, descriptive study design.
- Semistructured, individual interviews conducted with 9 registered NICU nurses.
- Thematic analysis of transcribed interview data.
Main Results:
- Four key themes emerged: living with grief, identifying with families, providing humane care, and feeling unprepared.
- Nurses reported intense grief and strong identification with families.
- A significant finding was the nurses' feeling of being inadequately trained in PC.
Conclusions:
- Brazilian NICU nurses require enhanced palliative care education and emotional support.
- Adequate training and support are crucial for delivering quality nursing care to critically ill infants and their families.
- Addressing these needs can improve both patient outcomes and nurse well-being.