| Description |
The central purpose for this study was to determine whether or not evaluation and revision of Nursing; curricula may be indicated to give nurses better preparation in the care of the dying and a sense of adequacy in giving this care. It was hypothesized that (a) nurses would exhibit measurable differences in the functions they recalled and identified as having been performed in meeting the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the dying patient, (b) the majority of nurses would indicate some inadequacy in attempting to meet the needs of the dying patient, and (c) at least one-half of the nurses would indicate that the preparation in the basic program in this area was adequate. In order to analyze the problem, a questionnaire designed to answer the following questions was constructed. 1. What Nursing; functions did the nurse perform in caring for the dying patient? 2. Did the nurse think that she was able to meet the needs of the dying patient? 3. What functions did the nurse perform in her first encounter with the dying patient? Did she have assistance in carrying out these functions? 4. What formal preparation did the nurse recall as give in the basic program that prepared her to carry out Nursing; function for the dying patient? 5. In the opinion of the nurse, what pre-graduation and post-graduation experiences would best prepare a nurse for giving care to the dying patient? 6. What did the nurse report as her current reaction to giving care to the dying patient? The first hypothesis relating to differences among the nurses studied was support by the findings. The data indicated that the Nursing; functions most frequently performed in the nurse’s early encounter with the dying patient were those related to meeting his physical needs. The majority of the nurse said they would perform certain listed functions to meet the emotional needs of the dying patient such as (a) staying with the patient if the family is not present and time permits, (b) verbally reassuring a patient who must be left alone that she will return within a short period of time, (c) transferring the dying patient to a private room, and (d) utilizing some means of communicating with the dying patient. Most of the nurses indicated they were aware of certain readily obtainable personal data about the dying patient that might help them identify factors that might contribute to the patient’s emotional response. More than half said they soul contact the religious advisor of the conscious dying patient of the Catholic, Jewish, Latter Day Saint, and Protestant faiths. For the unconscious Catholic patient, a majority would call his religious adviser. The second hypothesis was partially supported by the findings. Most of the nurses indicated they had a sense of adequacy in meeting the physical and emotional needs of the dying patient. Less than half said they could meet his spiritual needs. The third hypothesis was not supported. Sixty-six percent of the nurse indicated a need for better preparation for their first encounter with the dying patient. Sixty-six percent indicated that additional post-graduation formal instruction and/or clinical experiences would increase their ability to care for the dying patient. The respondents tended to be vague in indicating what theoretical preparation that considered as helpful in preparing them to care for the dying patient. The fact the 74 percent of the nurses indicated they had either negatively oriented feeling or little or no emotional reactions to caring for the dying patient may indicate that the opportunity was not provided in the basic Nursing; program for them to work through their feelings on death and dying.. |
