Nurses' stressful experiences in providing palliative and end-of-life care for children: A meta-synthesis

To explore the stress experienced by nurses while addressing the needs of families during palliative and end-of-life care for children and young adults.

A meta-synthesis was conducted. Six online databases (PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Airiti) from 2014 to September 15, 2025 were searched.

Of the 1,841 citations identified, 34 qualitative studies and 12 case reports were included. All included studies had adequate to strong methodological quality. Three themes emerged from the qualitative findings: (1) never seem to feel fully prepared; (2) sense of unfairness in conflicts of values; and (3) sheathing against traumatic bond attachment.

Nurses experience various stresses throughout the nursing process, which evoke avoidance responses. Supporting nurses is as crucial as providing family-centered palliative care to ensure a sustainable healthcare workforce. These findings demonstrate the importance of understanding how nurses perceive their stress in relation to provision of pediatric palliative care to help develop personal and team resilience.