Experiences of hospice inpatient nurses in supporting children before the death of a parent

Abstract

The need for pre-bereavement support for children facing the death of a parent is well recognised but how this is done by hospice ward nurses in practice is not well known. To explore the experiences of hospice ward nurses' identification of the support needs of children under 18 years old facing the death of a parent, and the impact on hospice nurses when involved in providing this support. Semi-structured individual interviews with hospice nurses working on a single UK inpatient unit were audio-taped and analysed using thematic analysis to produce themes and subthemes. Nurses were highly reflective, discussing their personal experiences, and identified potential enablers and barriers to providing support. Child and family factors were identified as influencing identification of support needs. Multiple factors influencing provision of support emerged. Formal training and readily available resources would support hospice nurses working with children.