Process of Attitude Changes in Nurses Who are Witness to the Deaths of Children with Cancer

Abstract

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to clarify the process of attitude changes in nurses who are witness to the deaths of children with cancer. The subjects were 13 nurses with experience in witnessing the deaths in witnessing children with cancer. Data was analyzed with the Modified Grounded Theory Approach. The process goes from feeling the sadness of loss, experiencing solace in relationships, making changes even with fluctuating feelings and demonstrating the art of nursing by being aware of the time that the child has left and accepting the limits of the patientʼs life. This process also revealed the nursesʼ conflict in worrying about the dilemma between providing support to fight the illness, and terminal care. With the initial experience of the death of a child, nurses make changes, while going through the recovery process from grieving, by being involved in other relationships with the people around them. Nurses then feel conflict in providing support to fight the illness while making use of the art of nursing, and transitions to a phase of finally accepting the death. This process was regarded as a growth process for nurses. These results suggested the importance of nurses including those who had newly graduated in terminal care for children and continuing to care for patients right until the end, and the necessity of mental support and technical and educational support for nurses involved in terminal care.