ประสบการณ์ของพยาบาลในการดูแลแบบประคับประคองในหออภิบาลผู้ป่วย

Abstract

The purposes of the study were to explore and describe nurses’ experience in palliative care in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) using qualitative phenomenological research. The study included 10 registered nurses who worked in ICUs in a tertiary hospital in Narathiwat Province. Data were collected using in-depth individual interviews and analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. Trustworthiness was established following Lincoln and Guba's criteria. The study findings revealed five themes including: 1. The meaning of palliative care in ICUs included seven components (1) caring as holistic care, (2) caring to reduce suffering and to increase quality of life, (3) incorporating relatives’ into the care, (4) caring for both patients and their family, (5) caring focusing on illness, (6) caring initiated together with cure, and (7) caring at the end-of-life. 2. The practices related to palliative care in ICUs included four components (1) supporting comfort and symptom management related to suffering, (2) providing information for decision making, (3) providing mental support, and (4) providing spiritual and belief support. 3. The feeling after providing palliative care in ICUs included three components (1) dedicating themselves in caring, (2) feeling good after caring, and (3) caring based on experience. 4. The barriers of palliative care in ICUs included three components (1) workload, (2) limited facilities, and (3) the relative’s decision-making did not match the patient’s needs. 5. The support needs of palliative care in ICUs included three components (1) reducing workload, (2) building the effective care team, and (3) receiving knowledge from colleagues who have been trained. The study elicited primary information that could help nursing staff understand palliative care and develop and improve the quality of palliative care in ICUs.