<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><sec id="j_FON-2019-0042_s_007_w2aab3b7b4b1b6b1aab1c18b1Aa"><h3>Objective</h3><p>Nurses play important roles in caring for dying patients and their families. Difficulties students confronted when facing dying patients challenge the quality of nursing education. A better understanding of students’ experiences would enhance teachers’ ability in helping students. This study aims to describe available evidence about nursing students’ experiences when caring for dying patients and their families.</p></sec><sec id="j_FON-2019-0042_s_008_w2aab3b7b4b1b6b1aab1c18b2Aa"><h3>Methods</h3><p>A review of qualitative studies published between 2005 and 2017 was undertaken using the following databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, ProQuest Central, ScienceDirect, and CNKI. The keywords included were <italic>nursing students</italic>, <italic>experience</italic>, <italic>care</italic>, <italic>end-of-life</italic>, and <italic>dying</italic>. Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument was used to assess the quality of the studies by two independent reviewers. The data from the studies were analyzed by meta-synthesis.</p></sec><sec id="j_FON-2019-0042_s_009_w2aab3b7b4b1b6b1aab1c18b3Aa"><h3>Results</h3><p>Eighteen English and two Chinese studies were selected in this review. Four themes were emerged: (1) Students with dying patients: students did not have enough ability in symptoms control, comfort supply, and therapeutic communication for dying patients. (2) Students with the patients’ families: students advocated more caring for patients’ families. (3) Students with the surroundings: professional medical staffs, especially the nursing preceptors, were key roles in constructing a supporting system for students. (4) Students with themselves: nursing students underwent various negative feelings and adopted both negative and positive strategies to cope with such feelings; students experienced professional and personal development during the caring for dying patients.</p></sec><sec id="j_FON-2019-0042_s_010_w2aab3b7b4b1b6b1aab1c18b4Aa"><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Nursing students’ abilities in terminal symptom control, comfort supply, and therapeutic communication should be improved by more theoretic learning and simulation practice. The nursing preceptors were key roles in constructing a supporting system for students and helping them to control the negative emotions when facing dying patients.</p></sec></abstract>

ObjectiveNurses play important roles in caring for dying patients and their families. Difficulties students confronted when facing dying patients challenge the quality of nursing education. A better understanding of students’ experiences would enhance teachers’ ability in helping students. This study aims to describe available evidence about nursing students’ experiences when caring for dying patients and their families.MethodsA review of qualitative studies published between 2005 and 2017 was undertaken using the following databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, ProQuest Central, ScienceDirect, and CNKI. The keywords included were nursing students, experience, care, end-of-life, and dying. Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument was used to assess the quality of the studies by two independent reviewers. The data from the studies were analyzed by meta-synthesis.ResultsEighteen English and two Chinese studies were selected in this review. Four themes were emerged: (1) Students with dying patients: students did not have enough ability in symptoms control, comfort supply, and therapeutic communication for dying patients. (2) Students with the patients’ families: students advocated more caring for patients’ families. (3) Students with the surroundings: professional medical staffs, especially the nursing preceptors, were key roles in constructing a supporting system for students. (4) Students with themselves: nursing students underwent various negative feelings and adopted both negative and positive strategies to cope with such feelings; students experienced professional and personal development during the caring for dying patients.ConclusionsNursing students’ abilities in terminal symptom control, comfort supply, and therapeutic communication should be improved by more theoretic learning and simulation practice. The nursing preceptors were key roles in constructing a supporting system for students and helping them to control the negative emotions when facing dying patients.

Nursing students’ experiences of caring for dying patients and their families: a systematic review and meta-synthesis

Frontiers of Nursing

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

ObjectiveNurses play important roles in caring for dying patients and their families. Difficulties students confronted when facing dying patients challenge the...

Nursing students’ experiences of caring for dying patients and their families: a systematic review and meta-synthesis

Article Category: Original article

Published Online: Dec 31, 2019

Page range: 261 - 272

Received: Oct 12, 2018

Accepted: Feb 05, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/FON-2019-0042

Keywords
experiences, caring for dying patients, nursing student, qualitative studies, meta-synthesis

© 2019 Yan Wang, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Nursing students’ experiences of caring for dying patients and their families: a systematic review and meta-synthesis

Article Category: Original article

Published Online: Dec 31, 2019

Page range: 261 - 272

Received: Oct 12, 2018

Accepted: Feb 05, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/FON-2019-0042

Keywordsexperiences, caring for dying patients, nursing student, qualitative studies, meta-synthesis

© 2019 Yan Wang, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
experiences, caring for dying patients, nursing student, qualitative studies, meta-synthesis