Exploring the meaning and practice of self-care among palliative care nurses and doctors: a qualitative study
Abstract Background Self-care practice within the palliative care workforce is often discussed, yet seemingly under-researched. While palliative care professionals are required to implement and maintain effective self-care strategies, there appears little evidence to guide them. Moreover, there is a...
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doaj-ba2a92885f4f4c4faad07c23893d9cb02020-11-24T21:50:30ZengBMCBMC Palliative Care1472-684X2018-04-0117111210.1186/s12904-018-0318-0Exploring the meaning and practice of self-care among palliative care nurses and doctors: a qualitative studyJason Mills0Timothy Wand1Jennifer A. Fraser2Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of TechnologySusan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, The University of SydneySusan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, The University of SydneyAbstract Background Self-care practice within the palliative care workforce is often discussed, yet seemingly under-researched. While palliative care professionals are required to implement and maintain effective self-care strategies, there appears little evidence to guide them. Moreover, there is an apparent need to clarify the meaning of self-care in palliative care practice. This paper reports qualitative findings within the context of a broader mixed-methods study. The aim of the present study was to explore the meaning and practice of self-care as described by palliative care nurses and doctors. Methods A purposive sample of 24 palliative care nurses and doctors across Australia participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed prior to inductive qualitative content analysis, supported by QSR NVivo data management software. Results Three overarching themes emerged from the analysis: (1) A proactive and holistic approach to promoting personal health and wellbeing to support professional care of others; (2) Personalised self-care strategies within professional and non-professional contexts; and (3) Barriers and enablers to self-care practice. Conclusions The findings of this study provide a detailed account of the context and complexity of effective self-care practice previously lacking in the literature. Self-care is a proactive, holistic, and personalised approach to the promotion of health and wellbeing through a variety of strategies, in both personal and professional settings, to enhance capacity for compassionate care of patients and their families. This research adds an important qualitative perspective and serves to advance knowledge of both the context and effective practice of self-care in the palliative care workforce.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12904-018-0318-0Palliative careSelf-careSelf-compassionPositive emotionsWorkforce |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Jason Mills Timothy Wand Jennifer A. Fraser |
spellingShingle |
Jason Mills Timothy Wand Jennifer A. Fraser Exploring the meaning and practice of self-care among palliative care nurses and doctors: a qualitative study BMC Palliative Care Palliative care Self-care Self-compassion Positive emotions Workforce |
author_facet |
Jason Mills Timothy Wand Jennifer A. Fraser |
author_sort |
Jason Mills |
title |
Exploring the meaning and practice of self-care among palliative care nurses and doctors: a qualitative study |
title_short |
Exploring the meaning and practice of self-care among palliative care nurses and doctors: a qualitative study |
title_full |
Exploring the meaning and practice of self-care among palliative care nurses and doctors: a qualitative study |
title_fullStr |
Exploring the meaning and practice of self-care among palliative care nurses and doctors: a qualitative study |
title_full_unstemmed |
Exploring the meaning and practice of self-care among palliative care nurses and doctors: a qualitative study |
title_sort |
exploring the meaning and practice of self-care among palliative care nurses and doctors: a qualitative study |
publisher |
BMC |
series |
BMC Palliative Care |
issn |
1472-684X |
publishDate |
2018-04-01 |
description |
Abstract Background Self-care practice within the palliative care workforce is often discussed, yet seemingly under-researched. While palliative care professionals are required to implement and maintain effective self-care strategies, there appears little evidence to guide them. Moreover, there is an apparent need to clarify the meaning of self-care in palliative care practice. This paper reports qualitative findings within the context of a broader mixed-methods study. The aim of the present study was to explore the meaning and practice of self-care as described by palliative care nurses and doctors. Methods A purposive sample of 24 palliative care nurses and doctors across Australia participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed prior to inductive qualitative content analysis, supported by QSR NVivo data management software. Results Three overarching themes emerged from the analysis: (1) A proactive and holistic approach to promoting personal health and wellbeing to support professional care of others; (2) Personalised self-care strategies within professional and non-professional contexts; and (3) Barriers and enablers to self-care practice. Conclusions The findings of this study provide a detailed account of the context and complexity of effective self-care practice previously lacking in the literature. Self-care is a proactive, holistic, and personalised approach to the promotion of health and wellbeing through a variety of strategies, in both personal and professional settings, to enhance capacity for compassionate care of patients and their families. This research adds an important qualitative perspective and serves to advance knowledge of both the context and effective practice of self-care in the palliative care workforce. |
topic |
Palliative care Self-care Self-compassion Positive emotions Workforce |
url |
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12904-018-0318-0 |
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