Nurses' experiences of supporting children whose parent has a terminal illness in a palliative care setting

Research indicates that approximately 2.2% of children in Ireland are bereaved through the loss of a parent. The death of a parent is one of the most frightening and shocking events a child must endure. As part of their role, specialist palliative care nurses commonly encounter children sitting at the bedside of their parent in inpatient palliative care settings. The study was carried out in Ireland between 2023 and early 2024.

The study aimed to explore nurses' experiences of supporting children whose parent has a terminal illness in a specialist palliative care setting.

A qualitative descriptive design was used with semi-structured interviews. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed drawing on Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis framework.

Three themes were identified: the privileged supporter, fear feeding avoidance and professional knowledge and skills. Most nurses said that, while medical social work held leadership in this area, nurses played a crucial role in supporting families due to the nature of their role and their presence at the bedside over the 24-hour period. They also reported a need for more age-appropriate knowledge and information.

The findings highlight the importance of strengthening the nurse's ability to support both children and their parents to improve the overall outcome for the bereaved children after the parent's death. It is suggested that this could be done through interactive education sessions where shared experiences can assist learning.