Concept Analysis of "Patient Suffering"

Abstract

The concept of “patient suffering” has not been made clear, which is needed for considering how nurses can take better care of patients who suffer from illness. The purpose of this study is to clarify the definition of the concept of “patient suffering”, by making clear its antecedents, attributes and consequences using concept analysis. The analysis was conducted for 36 articles extracted from databases, books and the Internet information, based on Walker & Avant’s method. As a result, seven defining attributes, seven antecedents and five consequences were obtained. “Patient suffering” was defined as “a holistic, uncontrollable, complicated, and unacceptable experience with undesirable emotions which is related to self-identity.” In addition, the constructed concept was compared with the related concepts of “distress”. The results of this study lays the foundations for considering of and constructing research plans on the nurses’ relationship with suffering patients and their family members.