The Dutch study asked nurses about their experiences with decision-making and performance of continuous sedation in terminally ill patients.
Nurses felt involved in the decision to use sedation in 84% of cases, although this was lower (69%) for those working for home care organisations. The authors recommend that nurses should become more active participants in the decision-making to improve the care of patients receiving continuous palliative sedation.
The survey also found that there were more procedural obstacles for those working in the home care setting, such as limited access to medicines and equipment, compared with nursing homes, hospices and hospitals. The authors suggest that nurses could also develop the practice of palliative sedation by anticipating procedural obstacles.
Day-to-day care in palliative sedation: Survey of nurses’ experiences with decision-making and performance by Jimmy J. Arevalo, Judith A. Rietjens, et al. was published in Volume 50, Issue 5 of the International Journal of Nursing Studies.
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