Remembering Patients who Die: Exploring the Meaning Conveyed in Notes to the Researcher

2008 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 321-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy J. C. Grove
Keyword(s):  
Registered Nurses ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Good Death ◽  
Patient Death ◽  
Daily Work

Nurses are confronted with the reality of death and dying as part of their profession and, often times, their daily work. The qualitative data in this article were compiled from unsolicited comments provided by respondents to a survey of Registered Nurses. Forty-eight nurses wrote notes to the researcher/author which, after analysis, were organized into two major themes. The first theme encompassed how patient deaths are remembered. The length of time since the death, details provided, and definitions of “good death” were identified as sub-themes. The second theme surrounded the effect that patient death experiences have on nurses. Implications of these data include the need to acknowledge patient death and the immense emotional toll it takes on nurses, as well as understanding that nurses are disenfranchised grievers.

scholarly journals Work Hours, Overtime, and Break Time of Registered Nurses Working in Medium-Sized Korean Hospitals

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (12) ◽  
pp. 588-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sung-Heui Bae ◽  
Sung-Woo Hwang ◽  
Gunjeong Lee
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care ◽  
Registered Nurses ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Staff Nurses ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Break Time

This cross-sectional study used quantitative survey data collected from registered nurses (RNs) who worked as staff nurses in medium-sized (300 beds or less) Korean hospitals. Data from 290 RNs were analyzed to examine the nature and prevalence of staff nurses’ work hours, overtime, breaks, and related work conditions. The results showed that staff nurses working in medium-sized Korean hospitals worked 9.6 hours a day on average and had 1.5 breaks daily, including mealtime. The average number of days the nurses skipped a meal due to work during the last month was 6.1. With respect to skipping bathroom breaks due to work, staff nurses reported that they could not visit the bathroom 7.3 times during the last month. Regarding work conditions, staff nurses working in intensive care units reported having longer daily work hours and were more likely to work 10 hours or more per shift. Nurses with less than 3 years of experience reported longer daily work hours and fewer breaks.

scholarly journals Information in Pursuit of the "Good Death": Libraries’ Role in the Death Positivity Movement

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Chabot
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
American Culture ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Good Death ◽  
Collection Development ◽  
Short Introduction ◽  
The North ◽  
Conference Theme ◽  
Culture Of Silence

The Death Positivity Movement (DPM) is a recent social and activist movement seeking to change the North American “culture of silence” surrounding death and dying. Seeking to engage with the conference theme of “conversations across boundaries,” this presentation presents arguments as to why libraries should be involved in the movement and also outlines more specifically actions that they can take to be involved. In this presentation, a short introduction to the DPM will be provided, followed by a brief discussion of the concept of the “good death”. Arguments will then be made explaining why libraries should be involved in the DPM and then the last section explores more specifically how libraries can be involved through collection development, community assistance and programming.

A Qualitative Content Analysis of Nurses’ Comfort and Employment of Workarounds With Electronic Documentation Systems in Home Care Practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-44
Author(s):  
Sarah Ibrahim ◽  
Lorie Donelle ◽  
Sandra Regan ◽  
Souraya Sidani
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Registered Nurses ◽  
System Design ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Care Practice ◽  
Electronic Documentation ◽  
Documentation System ◽  
System Usage ◽  
Documentation Systems

Background Electronic documentation systems have the potential to assist registered nurses with timely access to patient health- and care-related information. Registered nurses are the largest users of electronic documentation systems; however, limited evidence exists about their comfort with electronic documentation system usage and the types of workarounds developed within the context of home care. Aim To explore home care registered nurses’ comfort with electronic documentation system usage and identify the types and reasons for the development and implementation of workarounds. Methods A cross-sectional survey design was employed to collect quantitative and qualitative data. A total of 217 home care registered nurses participated in the survey. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Findings: Individual (e.g., registered nurses’ technology-related experience), technological (e.g., electronic documentation system design) and organizational (e.g. training) characteristics influenced registered nurses’ comfort with electronic documentation system usage. Furthermore, workarounds stemmed from the technological characteristics of the electronic documentation system. Conclusion Findings highlight the need for assessing registered nurses’ level of comfort with electronic documentation system usage to inform training initiatives. Including registered nurses in the system design is advocated to ensure electronic documentation systems fit with the complexity of nursing practice, potentially enhancing registered nurses’ level of comfort and mitigating the development and employment of workarounds during system usage.

The Good Death, Virtue, and Physician-Assisted Death: An Examination of the Hospice Way of Death

1995 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franklin G. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Terminal Illness ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Hospice Care ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Good Death ◽  
Voluntary Euthanasia ◽  
Assisted Death ◽  
Comfort Care ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Right

The problem of physician-assisted death (PAD), assisted suicide and active euthanasia, has been debated predominantly in the ethically familiar vocabulary of rights, duties, and consequences. Patient autonomy and the right to die with dignity vie with the duty of physicians to heal, but not to kill, and the specter of “the slippery slope” from voluntary euthanasia as a last resort for patients suffering from terminal illness to PAD on demand and mercy killing of “hopeless” incompetent patients. Another dimension of the debate over PAD concerns the evaluative question of what constitutes a good death. At stake are Issues of character and virtue in the face of death and dying and their Implications for legitimizing the practice of PAD. Critics of PAD argue that “natural” death in the context of comfort care, as provided by hospice programs, is the good death. In contrast, PAD amounts to an easy way out, an evasion of the ultimate human challenge and task of dying. Because hospice care is clearly preferable to PAD, the former should be encouraged and the latter remain prohibited.

Survey of alongside midwifery-led care in North Rhine-Westfalia, Germany

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-39
Author(s):  
Waltraut M. Merz ◽  
Andrea Heep ◽  
Pirathayini Kandeepan ◽  
Sophia L. Tietjen ◽  
Andreas Kocks
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Telephone Interview ◽  
Time Constraints ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Manual Skills

AbstractBackgroundAlongside midwifery-led care (AMC) was introduced in Germany in 2003. The aim of our study was to collect data about the utilization of AMC within North Rhine-Westfalia (NRW), Germany’s most populous state, and to collect information regarding the approach used for implementation of AMC and providers’ experiences in day-to-day work.MethodsQuantitative data were collected by questionnaire, telephone interview and comparative analysis of documents created for use in AMC. Qualitative data were compiled by questionnaire and workshop.ResultsSeven obstetric departments offer AMC in NRW. On average, 3.4% of women gave birth in these AMC units, corresponding to 0.3% of all births in NRW. For the establishment of AMC, institutional, organizational, professional and formal arrangements were undertaken. An eligibility and transfer checklist was agreed upon between midwives and obstetricians. Both professions were faced with skepticism. Daily work in AMC resulted in improved teamwork between the two professions and increased job satisfaction for midwives. Acquisition of manual skills and time constraints were the major challenges.ConclusionThe low utilization of AMC is not due to the concept of care itself or difficulties with its implementation, nor to a lack of eligible women. Reasons may be insufficient awareness about AMC or a lack of interest in this type of care.

scholarly journals We’re Lesbian Pioneers- We Can Manifest Good Death: EOL Experiences of Older LGB Women Who Have Lost a Spouse or Partner

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 610-611
Author(s):  
Korijna Valenti ◽  
Leah Janssen
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Good Death ◽  
Bisexual Women ◽  
Loved One ◽  
Network Support ◽  
Social Network Support ◽  
Advance Care ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
Hospice Palliative Care

Abstract Preparing for end-of-life (EOL) and identifying support systems are ways older lesbian, gay, and bisexual women (LGB) women can assert agency over EOL. This paper presents qualitative data from a sample of older LGB women 60+ who have lost a spouse or partner. Thematic analysis revealed four main categories of concern: 1) advance care documents and wills; 2) interactions with healthcare professionals; 3) discussions about EOL; and 4) social network support. The work also analyzed participants’ discussions of how they have changed since losing a loved one and how they now view preparation for EOL. Findings reveal the need for better communication between healthcare professionals and LGB women, better understanding of care options (e.g. hospice, palliative care) and deeper EOL conversations among loved ones. This work critically engages queer gerontology, providing an important foundation of how to better understand how older LGB women perceive needs and preferences for their EOL.

Advance care tweeting: A mixed-methods analysis of online conversations surrounding National Healthcare Decisions Day hashtags on Twitter (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahleen A. Lattimer ◽  
Kelly E. Tenzek ◽  
Yotam Ophir ◽  
Suzanne S. Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Topic Model ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
The United States ◽  
Good Death ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Cultural Perspective ◽  
National Healthcare ◽  
Advance Care Directives ◽  
Advance Care

BACKGROUND Within most Western societies, topics related to death and dying continue to be taboo, and opportunities for presence and engagement during end-of-life that could lead to a good death are avoided as a result. Several efforts have been made to help people engage in advance care planning (ACP) conversations, including completing advance care directives, so they may express their goals-of-care if they become too sick to communicate their wishes. One major effort in the United States towards encouraging such challenging discussions is the annual celebration of National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD). OBJECTIVE The present study explored ACP from a socio-cultural perspective, using Twitter as a communication tool. METHODS All publicly available tweets published between August 1st 2020 and July 30th 2021 (N = 9,713) were collected and analyzed using the computational, mixed-method Analysis of Topic Model Network (ANTMN) approach. RESULTS Results revealed conversations, driven primarily by laypersons (96% of tweets originated from unverified accounts) surrounded three major themes: importance and promotion, surrounding language, and finally, systemic issues. CONCLUSIONS Based on the results, we argue there is a need for awareness of what barriers people may face in engaging in ACP conversations, including systemic barriers, literacy levels, misinformation, policies, including Medicare reimbursements, and trust among health care professionals. This is incredibly important for clinicians and scholars to be aware of as we strive to re-envision ACP so that people are more comfortable engaging in ACP conversations. In terms of content of Tweets, we argue there is a chasm between the biomedical and biopsychosocial elements of ACP, including patient narratives. If used properly, Twitter conversations and NHDD hashtags could be harnessed to serve as a connecting point between organizations, physicians, patients and family members, to lay the groundwork for the trajectory towards a good death.

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