End-of-life Care Experience of Home-Based Hospice Nurses

This study aimed to explore home-based hospice nurses' end-of-life care experiences and elucidate the nature and meaning of end-of-life care. This study aimed to enhance the understanding of nurses' role identity and provide basic data to improve the quality of home-based hospice care.

The collected data were analyzed using Giorgi's phenomenological. The participants were 11 nurses working at a home-based hospice facility in Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected from August to November 2024 through semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews, each lasting an average of 64 minutes. Interviews were recorded and transcribed with the participants' consent, resulting in 267 pages of data. The collected data were analyzed using Giorgi's phenomenological method.

The analysis revealed four thematic categories, "Practicing emotional care," "Burden and burnout of professional life," "Rediscovering the meaning of existence" and "Awareness of sustainable care systems." Home-based hospice nurses supported patients and their families in accepting death and forming emotional bonds. They also experienced both burnout and fulfillment during the repetitive process of providing end-of-life care. Furthermore, they achieved personal and professional growth through reflection on life and death but recognized structural limitations such as a lack of staff and inadequate institutional support.

This study demonstrates that end-of-life care provided by home-based hospice nurses extends beyond simple physical care to include emotional and spiritual support, demonstrating the need for institutionalization, strengthening the educational foundation, and establishing a practical support system.