Day of Death Communications

Hospice nurses, who are used to facing such issues as death and dying, often feel that their communication skills are less effective when discussing difficult topics and spirituality. A study by Clayton and colleagues focuses on this very specific aspect of palliative care—the support provided by nurses on the actual day of the patient's death.

Conversations with family and patients were recorded and analyzed in this study. The analysis of the recorded conversations showed that nurses primarily focused on physical aspects of care (80% of conversations) and providing emotional support (14%). Only 6% of the content of the communications was about spiritual concerns.

Reference: Clayton MF, Hulett J, Kaur K, Reblin M, Wilson A, Ellington L. Nursing support of home hospice caregivers on the day of patient death. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2017;44:457-464. Abstract

Are you surprised? How comfortable do you feel discussing spirituality with your patients?