Sjuksköterskors upplevelser av att vårda patienter i livets slutskede : En systematisk litteraturstudie

Background: End-of-life palliative care is provided to individuals who have a progressive and incurable disease or injury. The meaning of palliative care is to promote quality of life and to alleviate the relief of patients but also those close to them. Previous research shows that patients in palliative care have a limited everyday life and that they become more dependent on nurses, which in turn leads to reduced autonomy. There was also a lack of communication among nurses and relatives. Method: Systematic literature study with a descriptive summary, 13 care science articles were analysed, all of which have a qualitative approach. Aim: The aim of the thesis is to describe nurses' experiences of caring for patients at the end of life. Results: The analysis revealed two themes; experiences of challenges in care and experiences of being present in care. The first theme included three subthemes; to understand the importance of communication, to experience a lack of knowledge and experience and to be affected emotionally, which was about the communication difficulty and challenges those nurses encountered. The second theme in turn included two subthemes; to experience the care as rewarding and meaningful and to promote good relationships in the care, which were about how nurses were personally affected in the care of patients at the end of life and in the treatment of relatives. Conclusion: The nurse experienced gratitude in caring for the patient at the end of life. The nurse experienced the care as rewarding and satisfying when they promoted good relationships with the patient and relatives. However, the nurse experienced challenges in care due to lack of knowledge and experience. This led to the nurse experiencing an obstacle to meeting the patient's needs