To be treated with respect : a literature study about next of kins’ need for support from the nurse in end-of-life care

Background: Palliative care can be given to patients with progressive, incurable disease. In palliative care the patient is seen in a holistic perspective, the goal is to prevent and relieve physical, psychological, social and existential suffering. The four cornerstones of palliative care are symptom relief, teamwork, communication/relation and support to next of kin. The nurse in palliative care builds a relationship with the patient and next of kin. The nurse also works with symptom relief and informing patient and next of kin. Next of kin to patients in palliative care often put themselves aside to care for the patient and wish to be with the patient until the end of the patients’ life. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe next of kins’ need for support from the nurse in end-of-life care in hospitals. Method: A literature study based on nine qualitative articles retrieved through systematic search in database Cinahl. The articles were analysed with a five-step method. Results: Two categories emerged in the results. The first was A respectful nurse, with the subcategories Emotional support, To be together and The patient is well taken care of. The second was To be involved as next of kin with the subcategories To be informed and Participation. Conclusion: Next of kin to patients in end-of-life care need a nurse who cares for them, enables them to be with the patient and participate in the patients’ care, guides and informs them in the end-of-life process and takes good care of the patient