To Talk or not to Talk About Existential Questions - An Interview Study With Elderly Persons and Patients With Fatal Disease.
Carl Bäckersten, Stina Nyblom, Ulla Molander and 1 others
PMID 39168477WHAT IT FOUND
About half of 15 patients and elderly people wanted to discuss existential questions, but many preferred trusted family or friends.
Nurses in palliative care can offer space rather than push, and activities may support as well as talk.
Key findings
01About half of the 15 participants said it was important to talk about existential questions, while others said it was not important at all.
02Most participants said they talked with family and friends, and they chose confidants based on trust and the nature of the relationship.
03Some participants said professionals, including physicians, registered nurses, social workers, and priests, could be easier to talk to, and one said professionals needed courage to face existential questions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 15 people were interviewed, so the themes cannot show how common they are in other patients or settings. The study used Swedish language and a secular Swedish setting, so non-Swedish speakers and other cultures may think differently. Men were underrepresented, with 14 women and 1 man. Some participants struggled with the word existential, so the findings may reflect confusion about the term as well as the topic. This was an interview study, so it describes experiences and cannot show that a nurse-led conversation improves outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that all dying patients or elderly people want nurses to initiate existential conversations. Only about half said talking was important, and participants wanted to choose the person.