Hospice Nurses in Utah: A Qualitative Study of Their View on Hospice Nursing Philosophy and Practice

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Identifier 2012_Ridley
Title Hospice Nurses in Utah: A Qualitative Study of Their View on Hospice Nursing Philosophy and Practice
Creator Ridley, Tracy Carol
Subject Older people; Philosophy, Nursing; Nurse's Practice Patterns; Holistic Nursing; Hospice Care; Palliative Care; Caregivers; Advance Care Planning; Personhood; Empathy; Grief; Adaptation, Psychological; Defense Mechanisms; Aging Populations; Hospice Nursing; Coping Mechanisms
Description The concept o f modern hospice care was conceived by Dame Cicely Saunders, a British nurse who later trained as a social worker and doctor. Her mandate was to offer holistic care consisting o f physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological support to dying people enabling them to live fully to the end of life. Hospice care has developed differently in the UK and the USA. This qualitative study, undertaken by a British nurse who has worked in end o f life care in both countries, set out to discover how hospice care was perceived and delivered by seven hospice nurses in Utah. Emergent themes were consistent with early ideas o f hospice care, and included supportive and comfort care that was directed by the patient and their family; unlike acute care, hospice care was accepting of death. Nurses felt that dealing constantly with dying was hard, but not necessarily stressful; they discussed coping mechanisms. The merits o f the interdisciplinary team were praised as both a support to the family and the nurses. The reasons underpinning the routine taking o f vital signs was investigated, with the conclusion being that it is done mainly to meet the perceived needs o f the family o f the patient. Documentation was seen as unwanted necessity, performed mainly for legal reasons. All nurses reported that hospice nursing was extremely rewarding, despite the inherent repeated loss and grief.
Publisher Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, University of Utah
Date 2012
Language eng
Rights Management Copyright © Tracy Carol Ridley 2012
Holding Institution Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, University of Utah
Name Tracy Carol Ridley
Type Text
ARK ark:/87278/s64b5zn6
Setname ehsl_gerint
ID 179515
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s64b5zn6