Hope is a phenomenon that, although difficult to define, is experienced in various ways and to different degrees by individuals when confronted with a life-threatening illness. Often a paradox of hope exists in the same moment of time or along a continuum for a patient receiving palliative care. The purpose of this manuscript is to conceptually define the paradox of hope, to operationalize the concept, and to apply the concept to nursing practice. By providing a link between the paradox of hope and the practice of nursing, nurses have the potential to relieve patient suffering by fostering and supporting a patient’s concept of hope in receiving palliative care.
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