Role Adaptation Process of Hospice Nurses / 간호행정학회지

PURPOSE: This study was performed to identify the role adaptation process of hospice nurses and suggest a model for the process. METHODS: Grounded theory methodology was used. Twenty nurses participated in individual in-depth interviews. Data were collected until saturated. Questions for the interviews were about phenomenon, conditions, action/interaction strategies, and consequences in the process. Data were analyzed by applying open, axial and selective coding proposed by Strauss and Corbin. RESULTS: Core category of the role adaptation process was ‘building up real capabilities’. Phenomenon of the role adaptation was oppressive feelings when caring for dying patients. Contextual conditions were lack of knowledge, experience and belief about hospice and hospice care being regarded as penance. Intervening conditions were expansion of horizons in understanding life and expansion of social comprehension about hospice. Action/interaction strategies included ‘reflecting on oneself as a hospice nurse’, ‘using oneself with feelings of a calling’ and ‘striving for self-management’. Consequence of the process was being a caring expert for peaceful death. CONCLUSION: The role adaptation process of hospice nurses for the participants was the process of building up real capabilities leading them to become caring experts for peaceful death through overcoming oppressive feeling when caring for dying patients.

Experience of Spiritual Conflict in Hospice Nurses: A Phenomenological Study

PURPOSE: This aim of this phenomenological study was to describe and understand the experience of spiritual conflict in hospice nurses by identifying the meanings and structures of the experience. METHODS: Participants were 12 nurses working for one year or more at hospice units of general hospitals in a metropolitan city and experiencing of spiritual conflict as hospice nurses. Over six months data were collected using individual in-depth interviews and analyzed with the method suggested by Colaizzi. RESULTS: The experience of spiritual conflict in participants was organized into three categories, six theme-clusters, and 13 themes. The participants felt existential anxiety on death and a fear of death which is out of human control and skepticism for real facts of human beings facing death. They also experienced agitation of fundamental beliefs about life with agitation of the philosophy of life guiding themselves and mental distress due to fundamental questions that are difficult to answer. Also they had distress about poor spiritual care with guilty feelings from neglecting patients' spiritual needs and difficulties in spiritual care due to lack of practical competencies. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate the experience of spiritual conflict in hospice nurses is mainly associated with frequent experience of death in hospice patients. The experience of spiritual conflict consisted of existential anxiety, agitation of fundamental beliefs and distress over poor spiritual care. So, programs to help relieve anxiety, agitation and distress are necessary to prevent spiritual conflict and then spiritual burnout in hospice nurses.

A Phenomenological Study on the Experiences of Parenting Burden of Working Mother with Young Children in Korea

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the essential structure of the lived experience of working mothers' parenting burden in Korea. METHODS: Eight working mothers with young children were interviewed. The Colaizzi analysis of phenomenological research was applied. RESULTS: Seven theme clusters were extracted: a life with constant conflict, sense of guilt, feeling anxious because of lack of information about education for their children, social stigma as a deficient mother, family relationship becoming distant, a life being exhausted, day to day struggle. CONCLUSION: These results provide an opportunity to have a better understanding of the experiences of working mothers related to parenting their young children. It would also serve as a medium for the formulation of appropriate nursing intervention relevant to burdens of parenthood.

Experience in Acceptance of Hospice by Patients with Terminal Cancer : A Phenomenological Research

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to further understanding of the experience in acceptance of hospice by patients with terminal cancer and to explore the structure of this experience. METHODS: A phenomenological methodology was used for the study. Participants were nine patients who were admitted to the hospice unit of a university hospital. In-depth interviews were done for data collection and the data were analyzed using Colaizzi's method. RESULTS: Four categories, eight theme clusters and 18 themes were identified for the experience in acceptance of hospice by patients with terminal cancer. The three categories were 'Hope for a comfortable death', 'Overcoming barrier of prejudice about hospice', 'Incessant craving for life', 'The last consideration for self and family'. CONCLUSION: While accepting the hospice care, participants experienced inner conflict between giving up medical treatments that prolong life and choosing a comfortable death, and also experienced an incessant craving for life. By accepting hospice care, they showed a human dignity that entails careful concerns for both self and family members.