Living with dying: A narrative inquiry of people with chronic kidney disease and their family members.
Anita E Molzahn, Laurene Sheilds, Anne Bruce and 3 others
PMID 30132956WHAT IT FOUND
People with advanced kidney disease and their families recognized death could come, yet focused on living fully and avoiding pain.
Nurses and other health professionals were not mentioned in their death conversations.
Key findings
01People with advanced CKD and family members recognized that death was a distinct possibility, yet wanted to keep living for close relationships.
02People with CKD said they were not afraid to die, but did not want to suffer.
03Nurses and other health professionals were not mentioned in participants' stories about death and dying.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and purposive, so the themes may not apply to other CKD populations or care settings. Health professionals recommended participants, which may have biased the sample toward people clinicians thought suitable. Two patients did not have a family member take part, so some dyad comparisons were incomplete. Member checking was not done, so participants did not confirm the researchers' interpretations. The recruitment strategy at one centre did not show how many invited people declined.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that patients and families did not want nurses involved in end-of-life talk. The study only says nurses and other health professionals were not mentioned in these participants' stories about death and dying.