Nurses’ Experience of Good Nursing Care for Terminally Ill and End-of-life Patients: The Client-Nurse, Practice, and Environment Domains

Abstract

PURPOSE This study explored nurses' experience of "good nursing care" in the context of caring for terminally ill and end-of-life patients, providing a foundation for improving patient care. METHODS We employed a qualitative research approach, integrating both inductive and deductive analysis methods. Data collection occurred from May 1 to August 1, 2023, involving nine nurses from intensive care units, hospice and palliative care wards, and nursing homes. All participants had at least two years of experience in caring for terminally ill and end-of-life patients. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews and analyzed using Colaizzi's six-stage phenomenological method for inductive analysis, and a deductive method based on four taxonomies client domain, client-nurse domain, practice domain, and environment domain. RESULTS A total of 172 meaningful statements were derived, with five themes and 57 (33.14%) statements in the client-nurse domain, including three phenomena (contact, communication, and interaction); eight themes and 91 (52.91%) statements in the practice domain, including three phenomena (mentalistic, enactment, and role related phenomenon); and five themes and 24 (13.95%) statements in the environmental domain, including three phenomena (physical, social, and symbolic). CONCLUSION The 18 themes of good nursing care, as conceived and experienced by nurses who cared for terminally ill and end-of-life patients, underscore the importance of attentive nursing care.