Striving for a balance between leading and following the patient and family – nurses’ strategies to facilitate the transition from life-prolonging care to palliative care: an interview study

BACKGROUND: The transition from life-prolonging to palliative care (PC) can be challenging often characterized by psychical, physiological, social and existential changes. Knowledge of how to support the patient and family in this specific care phase is lacking, and this area needs to be further explored. The aim of this study was to investigate strategies that registered nurses (RNs) use to ease the transition from life-prolonging care to PC for patients with incurable disease. METHODS: The study has a descriptive design. Fourteen RNs working in a specialized PC unit were interviewed. The data were analysed using content analysis. RESULTS: The RNs’ strategies can be described under the categories “Getting to know the patient and creating a relationship”, “Providing support”, “Adapting to individuals’ needs” and “Enabling conversations”. CONCLUSION: The findings show that the RNs in this population used strategies that not only took time but also required knowledge about the transition process and required the ability to identify and meet patients’ and families’ unique needs. Patients’ difficult and exposed situation needs to be addressed through a structured follow-up after informing about the change from life-prolonging care to PC. RNs have a unique role of supporting both the patient and the family in the transition from life-prolonging care to PC for patients with incurable disease.