Palliative care nurses' experiences of clinical supervision: a qualitative evidence synthesis

Clinical supervision provides support and facilitates professional and personal development.

To identify and synthesise all available qualitative research on palliative care nurses' experiences of clinical supervision.

Guided by the 'enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research' (ENTREQ) statement, eight databases were searched using a systematic search strategy (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, PsycINFO, Medline, Web of Science, ProQuest, Embase, Psychological and Behavioural Sciences). The findings of all included studies were analysed guided by Thomas and Harden's approach. Confidence in the review findings was determined guided by Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research (GRADE-CERQual).

Nine qualitative studies were included in this synthesis and four analytic themes were identified: negative experiences and misunderstandings of clinical supervision; clinical supervision needs structure and clarity; supervisor needs to be a conductor and a producer; finding your 'inner supervisor'.

The review illuminates the benefits of clinical supervision as a renewal process for palliative care (PC) nurses, but also highlights the challenges in its provision. Organisations should provide designated time and opportunities for PC nurses to attend clinical supervision sessions during working hours.