Nurses' experiences of managing vulnerability when working with seriously ill children.
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Authors
Nugent, Alice
Donohue, Gráinne
Higgins, Agnes
Issue Date
2022-01-10
Type
Journal Article
Language
en
Keywords
attitudes to death , child health , clinical , end of life care , grief , nurses’ wellbeing , professional , professional issues
Alternative Title
Abstract
Nurses who work with very unwell or dying children may experience intense sorrow and distress in response to loss, which can take an emotional toll on them, potentially affecting care provision.
This study aimed to explore the experiences of children's nurses who work with seriously ill children and to gain an insight into the dynamics involved in working with children and their families, as well as the nurses' experiences of managing their own vulnerability.
In-depth interviews were conducted with five children's nurse participants, and data were analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis.
Three thematic categories were identified - 'being emotionally full', 'navigating the rules of grief' and 'prism of time'. Caring for seriously ill and dying children is a unique type of nursing and is often regarded as contrary to the 'natural' process of life. Findings were dominated by unresolved grief and the mechanisms used to cope with this emotional pain.
Nurse educators must be aware of the strategies that people use to avoid engaging with painful emotional experiences. Without this understanding and self-awareness, children's nurses can be caught in a cycle of unresolved grief that affects their own health and could affect their ability to engage with children and families in an empathetic and supportive way.
This study aimed to explore the experiences of children's nurses who work with seriously ill children and to gain an insight into the dynamics involved in working with children and their families, as well as the nurses' experiences of managing their own vulnerability.
In-depth interviews were conducted with five children's nurse participants, and data were analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis.
Three thematic categories were identified - 'being emotionally full', 'navigating the rules of grief' and 'prism of time'. Caring for seriously ill and dying children is a unique type of nursing and is often regarded as contrary to the 'natural' process of life. Findings were dominated by unresolved grief and the mechanisms used to cope with this emotional pain.
Nurse educators must be aware of the strategies that people use to avoid engaging with painful emotional experiences. Without this understanding and self-awareness, children's nurses can be caught in a cycle of unresolved grief that affects their own health and could affect their ability to engage with children and families in an empathetic and supportive way.
Description
Citation
Nugent, A., Donohue, G., & Higgins, A. (2022). Nurses' experiences of managing vulnerability when working with seriously ill children. Nursing children and young people, 34(4), 19–25. https://doi.org/10.7748/ncyp.2022.e1403
Publisher
License
© 2022 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.
Journal
Nursing children and young people
Volume
34
Issue
4
PubMed ID
ISSN
2046-2344