Death and dying: contributions to a practice based on nursing theoretical frameworks

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Palliative Care
• Healthcare Practice

Background:

• Effective nursing practice in end-of-life care requires a strong theoretical foundation.
• Nurses' perceptions of theoretical frameworks can influence their approach to death and dying.
• Understanding agreement on nursing conceptions is crucial for developing supportive end-of-life care strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess nurses' agreement on nursing conceptions that can support their practice in the context of death and dying.
• To identify specific nursing theories that Portuguese nurses find valuable for end-of-life care.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory, descriptive, quantitative study was conducted with 3,451 nurses across 36 hospitals in Portugal.
• Data were collected between July 2015 and March 2016 using questionnaires.
• Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Nurses identified conceptions from Virginia Henderson, Afaf Meleis, and Madeleine Leininger as most supportive of their practice in death and dying.
• The degree of agreement with these conceptions was influenced by factors including region, service type, gender, professional training, and years of practice.

Conclusions:

• The study underscores the importance of nursing practice's purpose in facilitating culturally sensitive experiences of death and dying.
• Moving beyond a needs-based approach is essential for enhancing palliative care.
• Theoretical underpinnings are vital for nurses navigating the complexities of end-of-life care.