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Att separeras från livet : Patienters upplevelser av existentiellt lidande i palliativt skede - En litteraturstudie / To be separated from life. : Patients experiences of existential suffering in the palliative phase - A literature study

Background: Living with an incurable disease means facing existential challenges that the person must relate to. Being in a palliative phase also means that the person undergoes a lot of changes which often causes suffering. Suffering in palliative care is seen as multidimensional, something that affects the whole person, which is why a holistic view is a central part of palliative care. Aim: The aim of this literature study was to describe patient's experiences of existential suffering in the palliative phase. Method: A literature study based on ten qualitative articles. Results: Four main themes were found; experiences of a changed life-situation, experiences of loneliness, experiences of meaningless and experiences of loss. Conclusion: The study shows, from an existential point of view that coping and handling with an imminent death is complex and difficult in several ways. Patients in palliative care are a vulnerable patient group whose existential suffering may be enhanced by the way health professionals provide care. The study also shows a need for further research in this area aiming to support health care professionals to alleviate existential suffering.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hv-7295
Date January 2014
CreatorsGranström, Frida
PublisherHögskolan Väst, Avd för vårdvetenskap på grundnivå
Source SetsDiVA Archive at Upsalla University
LanguageSwedish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeStudent thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text
Formatapplication/pdf
Rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

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