Psychological challenges for nurses working in palliative care and recommendations for self-care

Abstract

Working in palliative care services has an impact on the personal and professional lives of healthcare staff. The complex practicalities of the role and additional factors such as moral distress, burnout, compassion fatigue and death anxiety all impact on the overall quality of services and patient care. This article aims to highlight what is known of the practical and emotional challenges for palliative nursing care and offers recommendations to services to support staff at an organisational as well as individual level, to help create a more supportive workplace for staff and patients alike. It follows previous research on working in palliative and end-of-life care.