Community Nurses' Preparations for and Challenges in Providing Palliative Home Care: A Qualitative Study

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Community Health Nursing
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Hospitals have historically led palliative care in Taiwan.
• Terminal patients increasingly prefer home-based end-of-life care.
• The role of community nurses in palliative home care requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how community nurses implement community-based palliative care.
• To identify necessary preparations for community nurses in palliative home care.
• To understand the challenges faced by community nurses in delivering palliative home care.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative descriptive study design.
• Purposive sampling of eight community nurses.
• In-depth, semi-structured interviews analyzed thematically.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: Opportunities, Qualifications, Support, and Commitments.
• Psychological preparedness, professional capabilities, external assistance, and peer support are key motivators.
• Community nurses are vital in meeting the rising demand for palliative home care.

Conclusions:

• Community nurses are essential for effective palliative home care.
• Findings can inform training programs to expand community-based palliative care services.
• Optimizing palliative home care requires addressing nurse preparedness and support systems.