Experiences and Practices of Nurses Caring for Terminally Ill Cancer Patients: A Qualitative Study

A. I. Kgosana, P. M. Mamogobo, T. M. Mothiba and U. B. Okafor

Global Journal of Health Science, 2019, vol. 11, issue 3, 44

Abstract: The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and practices of nurses caring for terminally ill cancer patients at the Pietersburg Hospital, in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using Tesch’s open coding data analysis method. Some of the nurses feel that caring for terminally ill cancer patients was emotionally demanding, strenuous and stressful because of the extensive pain that patients experience. The nurses bond with the patients to such an extent that they feel as if they are family. However, most of the oncology nurses blame themselves, feeling as if they do not do enough to help patients survive, when caring for the terminally ill cancer patients. Family members have expectations of nurses when their patient is in hospital; and when their expectations fail, they sometimes become aggressive and fault-finding. Most oncology nurses consider caring for terminally ill patient a stressful job; yet others expressed love for it. The findings of this study indicate that oncology patients need nurses to support and care for them at all times. Nurses who care for cancer patients have different experiences, some of which cause stress which is painful because they become close to patients and understand the pain they are suffering. Nurses, who care for cancer patients need care and support from hospital management in order to cope with their work.

Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/gjhs/article/download/0/0/38537/39159 (application/pdf)
http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/gjhs/article/view/0/38537 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ibn:gjhsjl:v:11:y:2019:i:3:p:44

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Global Journal of Health Science from Canadian Center of Science and Education Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Canadian Center of Science and Education ().