A qualitative study of assistant nurses' experiences of palliative care in residential care

Abstract

Aim: To explore assistant nurses' experiences and perceptions of both positive and negative aspects of providing palliative care for older people in residential care facilities. Design: A qualitative explorative study. Methods: Critical incidents were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews and analysed by performing a qualitative content analysis. Results: A total of 40 critical incidents from daily work was described by assistant nurses. The results showed that close cooperation between unlicensed and licensed professionals was crucial to provide good care but was sometimes negatively affected by the organizational structure. The availability of professionals was identified as a critical factor in providing good care at the end of life in a consultative organization. The most prominent findings were those that indicated that, especially in a consultative organization, there seems to be a need for clear roles, comprehensive and clear care plans and a solid support structure to ensure continuity of care.