International Journal of Palliative Nursing最新文献

Background: Little is known about the quality of death of terminally ill patients in hospitals in Thailand.

Aim: To examine the quality of death of terminally ill patients and investigate correlations between the quality of death and the organisational climate; nurses' palliative care knowledge; nurses' palliative care practice; and nurses' perceptions of barriers in providing palliative care.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was used. Data collected among 281 nurses were analysed by descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and Spearman's rank correlation.

Results: The overall quality of death of terminally ill patients in the hospital was moderate. Organisational climate and nurses' palliative care practice positively correlate with terminally ill patients' quality of death. Nurses' difficulty in providing palliative care negatively correlates with terminally ill patients' quality of death.

Conclusion: Promoting an organisational climate and enhancing nurses' palliative care practice may improve the quality of death of terminally ill patients in this hospital.

Access to quality palliative and end-of-life care in the emergency department is as vitally important as care at any other stage of life. This study aimed to investigate nurses' perceptions of the use of a suite of dedicated resources to support the provision of care to patients who are dying in the emergency environment. The study followed a qualitative descriptive design; 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic coding. Five themes were developed: facilitating care delivery; comfort and environmental adjustments; visual symbolism; developing knowledge to overcome fear; and perceptions of family experiences. There is an increasing need to access palliative care in the emergency department; the use of a suite of resources can play an important role in the provision of quality care to the dying.

Background: The surge in number of people needing palliative care services along with the deficit in nursing knowledge in in this field are challenges to be addressed in order to ensure higher quality end of life life care.

Aim: The aim of this cross-sectional, exploratory pilot study was to assess nurses' knowledge in palliative care using the palliative care knowledge test (PCKT).

Method: Descriptive analysis and correlations were carried out.

Findings: Nurses showed insufficient knowledge in palliative care; 52% had a poor level (≤18 points) and 48% a fair level (19-28) of knowledge. No participants scored more than 73% in the total PCKT score. Nurses scored poorest in the management of dyspnoea and psychiatric problems.

Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrated that promoting continuous education in palliative care is needed to provide quality care to terminally ill patients.

Background: Stress can physically effect patients with cancer undergoing palliative care and should be targeted for prevention.

Aim: To examine the effects of the biofeedback and music training programme (BMT programme) in decreasing stress among patients living with cancer receiving palliative care.

Methods: A randomised controlled trial (RCT) repeated measure study was used to investigate the effects of the BMT programme.

Findings: The participants in the BMT programme had the lowest mean stress recorded before, during and after the experiment, while the control group had a higher mean of stress in every measurement period. There were significant differences among groups across the time periods (Wilks' lambda =0.269, F=7.081, p<0.01).

Conclusion: Use of the BMT programme resulted in a significant reduction in patient stress. This confirms that the BMT programme plays an important role in helping patients living with cancer that experience high volumes of stress.

Background: Palliative care (PC) education should be an important part of both the graduate and undergraduate nursing curriculum. Nursing's philosophy of holistic care, which aims to improve the quality of life of patients and families, aligns with the primary objective of PC, positioning nurses to take the lead in expanding and improving PC delivery to all patients with a life-threatening diagnosis. The best way to facilitate this level of care is when staff nurses and advanced practice nurses work collaboratively.

Aim: To establish a new standard for nursing education that emphasises intradisciplinary care.

Methods: To fill the gap in PC education for nursing students, a dedicated elective PC class was developed for undergraduate and graduate students at a large midwestern University in the United States.

Findings: Through an interactive approach to learning, both groups were able to experience and more fully understand how they would work collaboratively with each other to provide high-quality PC.

Conclusions: Intradisciplinary PC education is an opportunity for students to learn the precepts of PC in an environment that will mirror their post-graduation practice environment.

Background: Understanding family members' (FMs) perceptions of the care provided by nurses is crucial to facilitating positive outcomes for FMs.

Aims: To better understand how bereaved FMs perceive the care nurses provide in an inpatient hospice palliative care unit.

Methods: An exploratory study was conducted, with an interpretive description methodology. It was guided by the question: 'How do bereaved FMs perceive nursing care in our unit, and how does this influence their bereavement experiences?' A total of 10 FMs-or close friends-who had a significant other die on a palliative care unit were interviewed.

Findings: Findings support the belief that positive relationships and interactions with nurses impact families' perceptions of end of life. Nurses create a therapeutic environment, building a sense of ease and meaning for patients and families.

Conclusion: Participation of nurses in rituals and patient-honouring practices after death may help families to cope and create positive memories during their grieving process.