Abstract
BackgroundHospital facilities in China are experiencing increased strain on existing systems and medical resources, necessitating the use of home-based hospice and palliative care (HBHPC). HBHPC primarily relies on community nurses and related medical personnel. Understanding the challenges that community nurses face when providing this form of care is urgently needed to optimize the design and delivery of HBHPC. Our study aimed to gain insight into community nurses’ challenges when providing HBHPC for patients.MethodsWe performed a descriptive qualitative study using a phenomenology approach. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 13 nurses from two community health service centers in Jinan, Shandong Province, China. A thematic analysis was applied to identify themes from the transcribed data.ResultsThree major themes emerged: 1) Community nurses’ inadequate self-preparation for providing HBHPC; 2) Patients and their families’ non-collaboration in HBHPC; 3) Community health service career disadvantages. Many negative experiences can be attributed to institutional barriers.ConclusionCommunity nurses faced multifaceted challenges in home care settings. This study could provide a framework for guiding the improvement of interventional variables in the provision of HBHPC. Future research should involve developing effective methods of improving community nurses’ job motivation and community health service institutions’ incentive systems, as well as increasing advocacy around HBHPC.
Highlights
Palliative care has been associated with relieving suffering and optimizing the quality of life among patients with poor disease prognoses and their families [1]
Home-based hospice and palliative care offered by community health centers (CHCs) are a potential solution for easing current pressures on hospitals
Aim This study explored the challenges faced by community nurses who provide home-based hospice and palliative care (HBHPC)
Summary
Palliative care has been associated with relieving suffering and optimizing the quality of life among patients with poor disease prognoses and their families [1]. The other relies on community health centers (CHCs) [10]. Home-based hospice and palliative care offered by CHCs are a potential solution for easing current pressures on hospitals. HBHPC teams are composed of community nurses, general practitioners, and rehabilitation physicians who provide high-quality care for patients in residential communities with populations of around 30,000 people [11, 12]. Hospital facilities in China are experiencing increased strain on existing systems and medical resources, necessitating the use of home-based hospice and palliative care (HBHPC). Understanding the challenges that community nurses face when providing this form of care is urgently needed to optimize the design and delivery of HBHPC. Our study aimed to gain insight into community nurses’ challenges when providing HBHPC for patients
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