Communication in the Management of the Nursing Care Before the Death and Dying Process

Abstract

Objective: to understand, from the perspective of complexity, the factors related to communication for the management of the nursing care before the death and dying of hospitalized people. Method: the Complex Thought and Grounded Theory were used as theoretical and methodological references, respectively. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, from May 2015 to January 2016, with three sample groups, totaling 41 participants: nurses, nursing technicians and members of the multidisciplinary team of a public hospital in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The data analysis followed the steps of open, axial and selective coding. Results: the management of the nursing care before the terminality and death involves a complex process of communication among patient, relatives and professionals, in which the interactions are permeated by the meanings of the end of life. Subjective, educational, sociocultural and institutional conditions influence nurses' interactions, generating order/disorder in the management of care. Conclusion: communication represents an important challenge for nursing management because it involves different actors, given the context of uncertainties and affectivities in the process of death and dying. It is important to emphasize the importance of the nurses being open to communication with these people, because this process requires complex actions regarding the demand for training and permanent education, as well as interdisciplinary action to guarantee humanization and comprehensive care.

Moral Sensitivity, Empathy and Prosocial Behavior: Implications for Humanization of Nursing Care

“…Empathy facilitates team work and patient-centered care given by healthcare professionals [24,25] and is related to subjective wellbeing [32]. Some studies have emphasized the value of empathy in humanized care [33][34][35][36][37][38], especially cognitive empathy, which has been established as a variable directly involved in humanization of care in nursing [39]. It also has an important role in reducing exhaustion [40][41][42], improving the wellbeing of healthcare professionals [43].…”

A Cross-Sectional Study of Empathy and Emotion Management: Key to a Work Environment for Humanized Care in Nursing

“…Although it may seem that there is a clear consensus with respect to the characteristics defining the work environment for humanization in healthcare, there is far from unanimous agreement. Studies to date on the value that certain psychological variables have for humanization of care have mainly dealt with empathy and communication skills (Beltrán, 2015;Espinosa et al, 2015;González-Hernández, 2015;Bautista et al, 2016;De la Fuente-Martos et al, 2018;Vásquez et al, 2018;Prado et al, 2019). The acquisition of these skills and abilities varies depending on the area of healthcare the nurses provide their services in Sharmay-Tsoory et al (2004), Weiner and Auster (2007), Mortier et al (2015), Howick et al (2017), Wilkinson et al (2017), Molero et al (2018), Pérez-Fuentes et al (2019b).…”

Communication and humanization of care: Effects over burnout on nurses

“…The cluster analysis identified a group (63.3% of the sample) which scored above the mean in optimistic disposition, sociability, emotional understanding, self-efficacy and affection, and another group (36.7% of the sample) which scored below the mean in the HUMAS dimensions mentioned. Researchers agree that humanization is related with more effective and assertive communication [ 10 , 22 – 24 ] and recent studies have revealed that burnout impedes humanization in care [ 3 , 32 ]. Therefore, as over 30% had lower levels in humanization, it would be advisable to improve humanization and communication in nurses to reduce burnout [ 31 , 44 ] for a review of humanization in care.…”