“scared Of Palliative”: Perspectives On Palliative Care From Pediatric Nurses Caring For Children With Progressive Life Shortening Illnesses On Acute Care Units
Title
“scared Of Palliative”: Perspectives On Palliative Care From Pediatric Nurses Caring For Children With Progressive Life Shortening Illnesses On Acute Care Units
Creator
Shelagh McConnell; Shelley Raffin Bouchal; Nancy Moules; Lillian Rallison
Identifier
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.10.075
Publisher
Journal Of Pain And Symptom Management
Date
2016
Description
Objectives: Children with Progressive Life Shortening
Illnesses (PLSIs) are children whose lives are shrouded
with uncertainty as they live with conditions for which
cure, and often even effective treatments, is not available.
Nevertheless, the number of children with PLSIs who
require long-term management of their disease condition
in hospital is steadily increasing. Accordingly, pediatric
nurses on general hospital units frequently care
for children with PLSIs and are intensely engaged in controlling
pain and managing complex symptoms such as
respiratory support, feeding issues, and seizure management.
Despite pediatric nurses carrying out the essential
aspects of palliative care, specifically pain and symptom
management, they typically do not identify their practice
as being influenced by the tenets of palliative care and
even described feeling ‘‘scared of palliative.’’
Methods: Qualitative data was collected through individual
interviews with pediatric acute care nurses, the transcripts
of which were analyzed according to the
interpretive methodology of philosophical hermeneutics.
Results: Participants revealed a limited understanding
of the scope and breath of pediatric palliative care.
Participants avoided using the language of palliative
care in their discussion of their work with children
with PLSIs. When they did use the language of palliative
care, it was taken up in the sense of end-of-life
care: ‘‘she was made palliative that day.’’ Furthermore,
participants often deferred to the palliative care consult
team when asked about how they understood
the role of palliative care in their practice.
Conclusions: Nurses working with children with PLSIs
and their families could benefit from support and
empowerment in their work through an integrative
and creative approach with the palliative care consult
team. This would include involvement of acute care
nurses in decision making conversations and the implementation
of an Advanced Practice Nursing role to work
as a liaison between the consult team and bedside nurses
Illnesses (PLSIs) are children whose lives are shrouded
with uncertainty as they live with conditions for which
cure, and often even effective treatments, is not available.
Nevertheless, the number of children with PLSIs who
require long-term management of their disease condition
in hospital is steadily increasing. Accordingly, pediatric
nurses on general hospital units frequently care
for children with PLSIs and are intensely engaged in controlling
pain and managing complex symptoms such as
respiratory support, feeding issues, and seizure management.
Despite pediatric nurses carrying out the essential
aspects of palliative care, specifically pain and symptom
management, they typically do not identify their practice
as being influenced by the tenets of palliative care and
even described feeling ‘‘scared of palliative.’’
Methods: Qualitative data was collected through individual
interviews with pediatric acute care nurses, the transcripts
of which were analyzed according to the
interpretive methodology of philosophical hermeneutics.
Results: Participants revealed a limited understanding
of the scope and breath of pediatric palliative care.
Participants avoided using the language of palliative
care in their discussion of their work with children
with PLSIs. When they did use the language of palliative
care, it was taken up in the sense of end-of-life
care: ‘‘she was made palliative that day.’’ Furthermore,
participants often deferred to the palliative care consult
team when asked about how they understood
the role of palliative care in their practice.
Conclusions: Nurses working with children with PLSIs
and their families could benefit from support and
empowerment in their work through an integrative
and creative approach with the palliative care consult
team. This would include involvement of acute care
nurses in decision making conversations and the implementation
of an Advanced Practice Nursing role to work
as a liaison between the consult team and bedside nurses
Rights
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Citation List Month
December 2016 List
Citation
Shelagh McConnell; Shelley Raffin Bouchal; Nancy Moules; Lillian Rallison, ““scared Of Palliative”: Perspectives On Palliative Care From Pediatric Nurses Caring For Children With Progressive Life Shortening Illnesses On Acute Care Units,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed April 30, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/10487.