A qualitative exploration of the experiences of palliative care staff when working with death and dying

Section A provides a review of the literature of the experience of staff working in palliative care. The review summarises, critiques, and synthesises fourteen papers matching the inclusion and quality criteria. Papers are reviewed in light of their methodological strengths and limitations. Thematic synthesis of the findings yielded four key themes, and clinical and research implications are discussed.

Section B describes a qualitative study that explores palliative care nurses’ experience of interpersonal challenges with dying patients. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and psychodynamic exploration. Three superordinate themes and related subthemes are described and discussed. Limitations and clinical and research implications for future research are outlined.

Section C provides supporting documentation