Nursing stress and stress reduction in palliative care

Abstract

Nurses in palliative care face particular challenges related to their work with terminally ill patients and their families. Several studies have suggested that workplace stress is a health risk to staff in this specific nursing situation. This study reports the results of a short educational programme for nurses in palliative care designed to identify and modify levels of perceived stress. The findings support the view that hospice nursing does create specific problems for staff which can be identified. Furthermore, if a training programme for nurses is introduced to address these problems the resultant stress can be reduced.