Literature review of the distress of nurses in end-of-life nursing

Abstract

This study purposed to understand the literature trends regarding the distress experienced by nurses during End-of-Life care and to clarify the significance of this stress. A literature search was performed using the ICHUSHI web and, among articles published from 2015 to 2020 (search date: November 26, 2020), 28 articles deemed suitable for the research purpose were selected as subjects. Consequently, the issues experienced by nurses were classified into the following two categories: 1) factors attributable to the nurses themselves, and 2) factors attributable to relationships with patients and medical care providers. The results revealed that nurses experienced difficulty in managing their emotions while providing support to grieving patients and their families. Therefore, continuous support to the nurses is required to enable them to deal with the emotional challenges they face while caring for patients and their families during End-of-Life care.