The importance of communication in pediatric oncology palliative care: focus on Humanistic Nursing Theory

OBJECTIVE: to investigate and analyze communication in palliative care contexts from the perspective of nurses, based on Humanistic Nursing Theory. METHOD: this is a field study with a qualitative approach, in which ten nurses working in the pediatric oncology unit of a Brazilian public hospital participated. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The testimonies were qualitatively analyzed using Humanistic Nursing Theory and based on the five phases of Nursing Phenomenology. RESULTS: two thematic categories emerged from the analysis of the study's empirical material: "strategy to humanize nursing care, with an emphasis on relieving the child's suffering" and "strategy to strengthen ties of trust established between nurse and child." CONCLUSION: communication is an efficacious element in the care provided to the child with cancer and is extremely important to promoting palliative care when it is based on Humanistic Nursing Theory

Coronary care unit nurses' outlook on death - their own thoughts as well as those of their patients : a pilot study

No studies have examined the  level of preparedness of CCU  nurses to deal with cardiac patients’  death issues. Accordingly,  the aim of this pilot study was to  explore and describe CCU nurses’  outlook on their own as well  as their patients’ thoughts about  death. A pilot study was conducted  in 2005 at a University Hospital  in southern Sweden. The 63  (93%) nurses answered a newly  established 18-item questionnaire  regarding their own and their  patients’ thoughts about death.  Descriptive statistics revealed  that 90% of nurses believed that  patients often thought about  death. Regarding their outlook on  death issues, 41% were aware of  their personal standpoint, 63%  were clear about their plan of  action, 34% showed openness  towards their patients and 26%  expressed educational adequacy.  These low figures pertaining to  both personal and professional  awareness indicate a lack of  knowledge and competence. Clinical  implications are the provision  of various forums at CCUs  on this subject and the creation of  awareness at all levels of nursing  education. Research implications  are to further develop the instrument  and implement an intervention  at the CCU of how to care  for dying cardiac patients in a  professional manner