Material
The structure of Support by Visiting Nurse for End Stage Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
2022 Volume 42 Pages 745-752
Details
2022 Volume 42 Pages 745-752
Objective: To clarify the structure of the support provided by home-visiting nurses to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients during the disease’s terminal stage.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with home-visiting nurses in the Kanto region and the data analyzed using the grounded theory approach by Strauss & Corbin (1990/1999).
Results: With “supporting the will needed to live even if breathing is difficult” as the core category, the support provided by the participants during COPD patients’ terminal stage was classified into five main categories—“providing a prognosis by comparing breathing difficulty and systemic symptoms,” “watching over the process of forgiving oneself feeling the limitations placed by one’s physical decline,” “eliminating the pain arising from the disappearance of the meaning of one’s own existence and of life,” “reconstructing the desired medical treatment until the final moments,” and “aiming for a peaceful end by eliminating breathing difficulty and anxiety”—and 13 categories.
Conclusion: The support provided by the participants was a process of realizing a way of life in accordance with the patient’s wish to retain their independence even with death near.
