¶ … NURSES' EXPERIENCES qualitative research appraisal

What is it so stressful about caring for a dying patient? A qualitative study of nurses' experiences

Nurses undergo a lot of stress especially when they are caring for dying patients. A nurse is usually the first contact person for a patient when they need information regarding their ailment or progression of sickness. The reduced number of nurses has had a great effect on the workload for nurses and increased work-related-stress. Patients expect nurses to offer them more than just treatment. Nurses should offer social interactions and connection with patients. This interaction makes it easy for nurses to connect emotionally with the patients, which has been cited as a contributor to stress. With this background, there was a need to investigate what causes stress for nurses who care for dying patients.

Review of the qualitative research study

The research title is clear, and the reader can deduce what the study is about from the title. The length of the title is 17 words, which exceeds the recommended title length, but the extra two words are necessary in order to make the title clear. The researchers have provided an abstract that indicates the study purpose and method employed for gathering information. However, the sample size and methods of selecting participants has not been included in the abstract (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 2013). The sample size is included within the paper. The abstract is not captivating enough to make a reader want to peruse through the reading. The researchers have indicated why they wanted to conduct the study, and the responses they received from nurses, but they failed to provide their conclusions and recommendation in the abstract, which denies a reader the opportunity to know the study results instantly.

The researchers have conducted enough research to establish the nurses' population is dwindling. They used this information to ascertain that the dwindling numbers were caused by various issues one of them being stress and burnout. The significance of the study is established at this point. Nurses' face many problems and they are required to offer holistic care around the clock. Nurses offer humanity needs of medicine because there are no other professionals who can attend to patients in the same manner as nurses. The researchers have tried to demonstrate that nurses have a closer bond with patients than doctors or other health care providers. For this reason, they are mostly affected emotionally when caring for dying patients. The researchers noted that there was little research conducted to ascertain the levels of stress that nurses endure when caring for a dying patient. The study is aimed at unraveling the concerns nurses face and lead to changes in training and coping services for nurses.

Literature review for the study has been undertaken, with different studies incorporated to demonstrate the levels of burnout and stress that nurses face. The researchers have demonstrated how important it is for a nurse to build a bond with his/her patients. This bond will allow the patient to trust the nurse and share information if they are in pain or uncomfortable. According to Cooper and Barnett (2005), the relationships are fulfilling, but they can cause psychological and emotional distress. Different literature has been evaluated all aimed at demonstrating the level of stress nurses undergo when caring for a dying patient. The literature review included in the study is effective as it mainly shows that nurses are vulnerable to burnout when caring for terminal patients. The study has employed the qualitative grounded theory approach for data collection and analysis. The study involved the analysis of emotions, which necessitated the use of this approach. Nurses have various experiences and the best way to gather information was to use an approach that would be conducive and appropriate. The researchers obtained approval before conducting the research on human subjects. The methods used for data collection were effective and allowed the nurses flexibility when providing answers.

The study comprised of 15 participants, which is a small number considering the number of nurses countrywide. The researchers employed a non-probability sampling methodology to identify the study participants. The snowball sampling methodology is effective when selecting study subjects from acquaintances (Polit & Beck, 2013). Nurses are not hard populations for researchers to access. Therefore, the method used for study selection was not effective, which results in the reduced number of participants. The subjects had different qualifications, but most of them had a bachelor of nursing qualification. The study participants were suitable for the purpose of the study. Data for the study was collected using online open-ended surveys and audiotaped...

The researchers used these methods in order to question the nurses further. Using the audiotaped in-depth interviews the researchers were able to follow up on the survey answers provided by the nurses. The audiotaped interviews were conducted face-face. The researchers also examined nurses and nursing students for their experiences when caring for dying patients. The audiotapes were transcribed and re-examined together with the online surveys to identify themes and vital issues. The researchers managed to collect ample data to support their study. Before a participant could take part in the study, he or she was requested to sign an informed consent document. The researchers had also received approval from the Institutional Review Board in order to use human subjects in the study. The authors have indicated they used pseudonyms in the result section of the study. Making use of pseudonyms ensures that the study participants remain anonymous, and the researchers were able to guarantee confidentiality, autonomy, and freedom from harm (Speziale, Streubert, & Carpenter, 2011).
The authors have managed to demonstrate there is a need for training nurses on how to handle the stressful situation like caring for a dying patient. The researcher used different scales to measure the responses provided by the participants, and they have incorporated this information in the study. All study participants were anonymous, and the researchers did not collect any personally identifiable information. The researchers have not clearly demonstrated the research steps followed, which makes it a bit hard to identify the criterion used to analyze the data. The researchers have acknowledged the shortcomings of their study and have recommended that further research be carried out. The method used necessitated the use of a small sample size because not many interviews could be carried out within the study time.

The study findings have been presented using quotes from different participants to emphasize the importance of the information. Quoting from some of the participants allowed the researchers to show how vital their study is towards the development of further nursing training. The methods used to present the findings appropriate because it incorporates the responses provided by the participants. The study has not been presented in the same context as what was already known, but rather the researchers opted to describe the results and include some responses from the participants. Presenting the results in such a manner allowed the researchers to address the main purpose of conducting the study. The study aimed at establishing what causes stress to nurses when caring for dying patients. The limitations and recommendations made by the researchers have been presented. The authors have agreed that the methodology used for data collection (interviews) was limiting the number of respondents they could use for the study. Further studies should be conducted in palliative, and hospice care alone, which would provide further information regarding the stress levels of nurses in such facilities. The researchers have suggested avenues for further research, which they feel they were unable to meet in the current study. Using online surveys was a limitation for the researchers, which they have noted and advised on how best to use this method. There was no way to follow up with the nurses who participated online and the responses were brief. A summary has been made of the important points noted within the article. The conclusion indicates the purpose of the study and acknowledged that previous literature had discovered some of their findings. The nurses identified communication as a primary challenge. The authors have reiterated their recommendations in the conclusion in an attempt to drive the message. The study made use of various references especially for the literature review. The authors have ensured that all the references used have been appropriately acknowledged and referenced.

Conclusion

The authors were able to demonstrate what causes stress for nurses, but their study had limitations. Nurses had to build emotional bonds when caring for dying patients and this was a huge contributor for their work-related stress. The article authors wanted to demonstrate the importance of alleviating stress for nurses. Different levels of caring for patients were analyzed and their stress levels determined. The researchers have indicated that there is a need for nurses to undergo training programs that teach them how to handle different situations.

References

Cooper, J., & Barnett, M. (2005). Aspects of caring for dying patients which cause anxiety to first year student nurses. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 11(8), 423-430.

LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (2013). Nursing research: Methods and critical appraisal…