Nurses’ perceptions of compassionate care in pediatric oncology: a qualitative interview study

Abstract

BackgroundCompassion is a crucial aspect in the management of pediatric oncology patients as it has the potential to enhance nurse satisfaction levels, thereby further enhancing the quality and safety of the care they deliver. This study aimed to investigate nurses’ understanding and experience of compassionate care when working in pediatric oncology departments.MethodsThis research utilized a qualitative descriptive design. Content analysis was used to make sense of data collected via individual and semi-structured interviews conducted with nurses (n = 32) working in pediatric oncology departments.ResultsNurses’ understanding of compassionate care for children with cancer was organized into two categories: Humanistic compassionate care and compassionate end-of-life care. The humanistic compassionate care category comprised of three subcategories: (1) empathy, (2) altruism, and (3) respect for the cultural values and beliefs of the family. The compassionate end-of-life care category comprised of two subcategories: (1) facilitating parents’ presence at the child’s bedside and (2) creating suitable conditions for accepting the death of a child.ConclusionCompassionate care for children with cancer is marked by a strong emphasis on humanistic, cultural, and end-of-life considerations. Our findings further emphasize the paramount importance of taking families’ presence, wishes and beliefs into consideration within this context.