Nursing Care for Patients and Their Families in General Wards That Supports Patients in the End-of-Life Phase of Their Disease in Line with Their Wills

<p>The objective of this study is to elucidate nursing care for patients and their families in general wards that supports patients in the end-of-life phase of their disease in line with their wills. An interview survey was conducted with nine nurses based on the narrative approach. Nine cases were reconstructed from the narratives of each participant, and a thematic narrative analysis was conducted. The nine cases showed a process that does not involve simply listening to the patient’s wills and fulfilling them, but also overcomes various barriers to do so while exploring better strategies in accordance with the patient’s medical condition, the family’s situation, and the patient-family relationship. Interpreting these, the following five characteristics were revealed as constituting nursing care that significantly impacted supporting the patient’s will. 1) Ascertaining the underlying meaning of the patient’s will, 2) Gaining a closer understanding of the family’s circumstances to connect patient and family, 3) Continuing to engage in care that values the individual, 4) Performing care as part of a nursing team, and 5) Utilizing the characteristics of general wards in care. These findings demonstrate some aspects of excellence in end-of-life nursing in general wards and indicate end-of-life nursing specific to general wards.</p>