Nurses' experiences of palliative care in Iceland : A qualitative interview study

Abstract: Background: Palliative care is a holistic care where knowledge is required to help people with incuratble, life-threatening diseases. The goal is to provide an improved quality of life and support people and their relatives, as well as help them live with dignity and with the greatest possible well-being until the end of life. In Iceland, the majority of the residents at nursing homes spend their end of life at the nursing homes and at the same time palliative care in individuals’ homes is becoming more common. This makes palliative care one of the most important elements of caring. During care, relationships are created between nurses, patients and relatives and there are many different wills and perspectives to relate to as a nurse. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe nurses' experiences of palliative care in Iceland. Method: The method for the study is a qualitative interview study and ten nurses who worked in nursing homes or palliative home care were interviewed. For the analysis of the collected data, a qualitative content analysis was used. Results: The study shows what experiences the nurses had of palliative care in Iceland, which was; Different forms of communication with the patient and strive to provide holistic care, The parts needed to establish a good relationship, The importance of good communication with relatives and including them in nursing, Support by communication, experience and teamwork. The result is presented in categories and subcategories, where the categories constitute above-mentioned concepts. Conclusion / Discussion: Meeting the needs of palliative care patients and their relatives was a challenge for the nurses and those with more experience and knowledge of palliative care felt that it was easier for them meeting these needs. Palliative care is a complex care where it is required that you as a nurse during one of the most stressful situations in life for people, should still be able to maintain good communication and create good relationships with those who are in this situation. Communication and collaboration with colleagues, as well as emotional commitment and the opportunity for existential conversations were considered important in palliative care.