A Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Registered
Research
A study of the lived experiences of registered nurses who have provided end-of-life care within an intensive care unit
Natalie Holms, Stuart Milligan, Angela Kydd
T
his paper details a qualitative study to explore the lived experiences of registered intensive care unit (ICU) nurses who have provided end-of-life care (EOLC) to dying patients and their families within an ICU.
Providing EOLC in the ICU can be stressful for
ICU nurses, who are rapidly confronted with the fast transition from curative care to EOLC
(Puntillo et al, 2001; Hopkinson et al, 2005;
Thacker, 2008). Furthermore, some ICU nurses may not consider themselves to be suitably equipped for dealing with EOLC as a result of insufficient training in this area (Hanson et al,
2009). Therefore authors such as Chapman
(2009) insist that EOLC must emerge as a fundamental area of ICU expertise, requiring an equal level of knowledge and competence to all other areas of intensive care practice.
The relationship between EOLC and palliative care
© 2014 MA Healthcare Ltd
The term ‘end-of-life care’ is frequently used interchangeably with ‘palliative care’, ‘supportive care’, and ‘terminal care’ which causes confusion (Pastrana et al, 2008). The World Health
Organization (2004) specifies that palliative care should be viewed as a philosophy of care that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with lifethreatening illness. In 2009, Radbruch and Payne suggested that EOLC is synonymous with palliative care, yet is more specific to acutely unwell patients who require palliative care in the last few hours, days or weeks of their life.
Accordingly, the term used within this study will be EOLC, as this study is centred on the care of dying patients in the ICU.
EOLC in the intensive care unit
The philosophy of EOLC, which involves providing the best quality, research-based palliative care/EOLC to all those who require it, is at the heart of best practice
A study of the lived experiences of registered nurses who have provided end-of-life care within an intensive care unit
Natalie Holms, Stuart Milligan, Angela Kydd
T
his paper details a qualitative study to explore the lived experiences of registered intensive care unit (ICU) nurses who have provided end-of-life care (EOLC) to dying patients and their families within an ICU.
Providing EOLC in the ICU can be stressful for
ICU nurses, who are rapidly confronted with the fast transition from curative care to EOLC
(Puntillo et al, 2001; Hopkinson et al, 2005;
Thacker, 2008). Furthermore, some ICU nurses may not consider themselves to be suitably equipped for dealing with EOLC as a result of insufficient training in this area (Hanson et al,
2009). Therefore authors such as Chapman
(2009) insist that EOLC must emerge as a fundamental area of ICU expertise, requiring an equal level of knowledge and competence to all other areas of intensive care practice.
The relationship between EOLC and palliative care
© 2014 MA Healthcare Ltd
The term ‘end-of-life care’ is frequently used interchangeably with ‘palliative care’, ‘supportive care’, and ‘terminal care’ which causes confusion (Pastrana et al, 2008). The World Health
Organization (2004) specifies that palliative care should be viewed as a philosophy of care that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with lifethreatening illness. In 2009, Radbruch and Payne suggested that EOLC is synonymous with palliative care, yet is more specific to acutely unwell patients who require palliative care in the last few hours, days or weeks of their life.
Accordingly, the term used within this study will be EOLC, as this study is centred on the care of dying patients in the ICU.
EOLC in the intensive care unit
The philosophy of EOLC, which involves providing the best quality, research-based palliative care/EOLC to all those who require it, is at the heart of best practice