Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. S.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Dr. Jeanne Flannery, Florida State University, School of Nursing. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 17, 2005). Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 145 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Hospice nurses are primary professional caregivers providing end-of-life care to dying patients and their families. The terminal care practices often place heavy physical, emotional, and spiritual demands on hospice nurses. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of Taiwanese nurses who care for dying patients in hospices. The research question that guided this study was: What is the lived experience of Taiwanese hospice nurses who caring for dying patients? The conceptual orientation of this study was based on Paterson and Zderad’s (1976) Humanistic Nursing Theory, which is rooted in phenomenology, intersubjectivity, and existential thought. A snowball sampling technique was employed to recruit 14 female participants who worked in six different hospices in central and southern Taiwan. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted and transcribed by the researcher. The data analysis was based on Colaizzi’s (1978) guidelines. Four main themes and three sub-themes emerged from thematic analysis. The four main themes are: (1) entering the specialty of hospice, (2) managing everyday work, (3) living with the challenges, and (4) reaping the rewards. Three sub-themes of managing everyday work include providing holistic, meaningful care through close relationships; confronting and managing negative beliefs about hospice; and managing the dying process. These main themes and subthemes constituted the fundamental structure of these hospice nurses’ caregiving experiences which was an evolving journey. The results of this study provide nursing educators, students, staff and administrators insights into the hospice nurses’ experience and hospice care in Taiwan. They can use these data to improve nursing education and change nursing practice. Additionally, researchers can design further studies to expand nursing knowledge to advance staff development and improve quality care for dying patients and their families. / text

Thesis (M. Communication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Summary in English and Afrikaans. Includes bibliographical references.

Health care complexities have limited the understanding of nursing care and have jeopardized the "soft skills" or foundation of caring as the art of nursing. Hospice nurses provide a deeper, more spiritual and complex type of care for critically ill and end-of-life (EOL) patients, which place them at a high risk for compassion fatigue. Using Reed's middle range theory of self-transcendence, the purpose of this project was to examine the relationship between compassion fatigue and self-transcendence among inpatient hospice nurses. A descriptive, correlational research methodology guided this inquiry surveying a convenience sample of 42 inpatient hospice nurses at 4 hospice locations. The Professional Quality of Life Scale assessment and Reed's Self-Transcendence Scale were used to survey inpatient hospice nurses. According to study results, although self-transcendence was not significantly associated with fatigue, there was a positive correlation between self- transcendence and compassion satisfaction and between affect and self-transcendence. This study leads to positive social change by providing hospice nurses strategies on how to cope with grief and trauma experienced on-the-job, leading to improved hospice care.

No description available.

Compassion fatigue is a secondary stress reaction that results from providing care to those undergoing traumatic life events. Frequent exposure to dying patients with complex medical concerns has been identified as a contributing factor to compassion fatigue and resultant turnover among hospice nurses. The purpose of this project was to assess whether the provision of education to hospice nurses regarding compassion fatigue resulted in a demonstrable improvement in their levels of compassion fatigue. Watson's theory of human caring and Roy's adaptation model provided the theoretical foundation for this project. The practice-focused question for this project asked whether a reduction in compassion fatigue among hospice nurses would result after providing them with educational material focused on compassion fatigue. Twenty-three hospice nurse participants were administered Stamm's Professional Quality of Life Scale to measure their compassion fatigue levels before and after being presented with an educational booklet. Scores for this project were compared using a before-and-after quality improvement design and percent difference to measure the impact of the educational offering. Results demonstrated an 8.6% reduction in compassion fatigue among the hospice nurse participants, indicating that educational interventions support a positive effect in reducing compassion fatigue. Positive social change might result from this project by improving nurses' awareness of the need for self-care that contributes to resiliency and prevention of compassion fatigue.

No description available.

No description available.