%0 Journal Article
%T Promoting Neonatal Staff Nurses' Comfort and Involvement in End of Life and Bereavement Care
%A Weihua Zhang
%A Betty S. Lane
%J Nursing Research and Practice
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/365329
%X Background. Nurses who provide end of life and bereavement care to neonates and their families are potentially at risk for developing stress-related health problems. These health problems can negatively affect nurses¡¯ ability to care for their patients. Purpose. Nurses need to be knowledgeable about end of life and bereavement issues to provide quality care. This study sought to evaluate the effect of a bereavement seminar on the attitudes of nurses regarding end of life and palliative care of neonates. Design. A convenience sample of fourteen neonatal nurses completed a Bereavement/End of Life Attitudes about Care of Neonatal Nurses Scale after a bereavement seminar designed to provide information on end of life care. A pre- and posttest design with an intervention and control group was used to assess changes in nurse bereavement attitudes in relationship to comfort, role, and involvement. Results. After bereavement seminar, the seminar attendees had higher levels of comfort in providing end of life care than nurses in the control group ( ; = 0.04). Discussion. Nurses' comfort levels can be improved by attending continuing education on end of life care and having their thoughts on ethical issues in end of life care acknowledged by their peers. 1. Introduction Nurses who provide end of life and bereavement care to infants and their families are potentially at great risk for developing stress-related health problems. The emotional strain associated with end of life and bereavement care not only affects a nurse¡¯s health but can also affect relationships at home and with coworkers. The stress experienced by a nurse can even affect the quality of care provided to patients and parents [1, 2]. Moral distress is recognized as one of the major sources of stress for nurses who provide end of life care to infants. Factors that induce moral distress in nurses can result from providing care to infants who have withdrawal of treatment followed by death or extending futile treatment that induces unnecessary suffering [3]. There has been an increase in the proportion of deaths associated with decisions to forgo intensive care treatment from 23% in 1987 to 1988 to 64% in 1998 to 1999 [4]. More than half of neonatal deaths are associated with withdrawal of treatment [5], and treatment-related stressors to health care professionals have no doubt increased over the years as a result of advanced treatment options [6, 7]. Nurses need to be knowledgeable about bereavement and end of life issues and need to be comfortable in their interactions in order to provide quality
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/nrp/2013/365329/