Page 227 - GHR_NursingCMU2024_Final.indd

Stress Adaptation and Growth Among Hospice Shared Care Nurses in Caring for
Terminally Ill Patients

2
1
S. Tu, M. Chung, H. Chen, and Y. Weng 3
1
School of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Chinese Taipei, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Nursing
1 2
3
Department, Chinese Taipei, and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Hospital, Nursing
Department, Chinese Taipei

Background: Hospice shared care involves hospice teams extending services to non-hospice wards
for terminally ill patients. Nurses in this setup play a crucial role in addressing the intricate physical,
emotional, and spiritual distress faced by patients and their families and facilitating communication
among medical teams, while contending with pressures from diverse sources. This study aims to
understand shared care nurses’ stress adaptation and provide insights for hospice care development.

Objective: To explore stress adaptation and growth among hospice shared care nurses, offering
reference materials for nursing staff, hospitals, and educational institutions.

Methods: Qualitative research was conducted using purposive sampling and semi-structured
interviews. Nine hospice shared care nurses underwent in-depth interviews to document and analyze
their stress and adaptation journey. Grounded theory served as the analytical framework, utilizing
coding procedures for data analysis and synthesis.

Results: This study identified various stressors for hospice shared care nurses, including inconsistent
treatment directives, unclear medical decisions by families, physical, emotional, and spiritual unrest
among patients and families, and communication barriers among medical staff. The adaptation
process encompasses peer support, teamwork, resource-seeking, religious support, transformative
learning, data-driven problem-solving, stress relief, and supervisor understanding. Insights gained
during caregiving include the beneficial impact of accumulated experience on other patients, the
Poster Presentation Abstracts
influence of patients’ life journeys on one’s worldview, and deriving motivation from positive feedback
from patients and families. The central theme identified is “Shift in perspective, finding meaning in
work.”

Conclusion: This study offers an understanding of the stress and adaptation process experienced
by hospice shared care nurses when attending to terminally ill patients, elucidating how they derive
meaning from their work through this process. The findings seek to elevate the quality of care and
promote the development of hospice care.

Keywords: hospice shared care, hospice shared care nurse, stress adaptation

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Correspondence: Shu-Wen Tu, School of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Chinese Taipei
E-mail: swtu885293@gmail.com

225