Palliative Care and End-of-Life Communication Experiences of Pediatric Oncology Nurses.
Dr. Hendricks-Ferguson is now employed at St. Louis University, School of Nursing.
Update 6/2014:
Several papers fully or partially supported by ALSF funds are in progress:
A paper concerning Group 1 nurses with less than 1 year of experience has been accepted and is forthcoming in Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nurses (JPON). The title of this paper is: "Novice Nurses’ Experiences with Palliative and End-of-Life Communication."
Other papers are being prepared for submission.
Project Goal:
This study addresses a research priority established by the Institute of Medicine and End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium to improve palliative and end-of-life care (PC/EOL) for pediatric patients and their families, including siblings. The findings of this study will contribute to the development of a PC/EOL communication intervention for beginning nurses who work with children with cancer and their families. Nurses are especially situated at the forefront of opportunities to communicate with children with cancer receiving PC/EOL and their family members, thus influencing their quality of life. Little is known about how nurses view their role regarding PC/EOL communication, when or how nurses initiate PC/EOL communication, and how nurses communicate with children with cancer individually and with their families during PC/EOL.
