Exploring the Barriers Faced by Nephrology Nurses in Initiating Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease Into Advance Care Planning Using Focus-Group Interviews

Jui-O CHEN ； Chiu-Chu LIN

《The Journal of Nursing Research》 29卷6期 (2021/12) Pp. 1-8

https://doi.org/10.1097/jnr.0000000000000462

摘要

Background: The prevalence of end-stage renal disease in Taiwan is the highest in the world. The rate of signing advance directives in Taiwan is lower than in Western countries, and most of the barriers that have been identified relate to initiating advance care planning (ACP). Purpose: This study was designed to explore the barriers to discussing ACP with patients with chronic kidney disease faced by nephrology nurses. Methods: A descriptive qualitative study design was adopted. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research was used to report the findings of this study. Data were collected using purposive sampling. A total of 34 nephrology nurses were recruited from hospitals in northern (2 groups, 10 participants), central (1 group, 4 participants), and southern (5 groups, 20 participants) Taiwan. A qualitative content analysis was conducted to analyze the transcripts of the eight focus groups. Results: Five themes were identified, including (a) lacking the confidence to discuss ACP, (b) difficulty in finding an appropriate opportunity to initiate ACP discussion, (c) personally lacking the characteristics to discuss ACP, (d) conflicting perspectives between doctors and nurses over ACP, and (e) culture and belief-based barriers to discussing ACP. Conclusions/Implications for Practice: The findings obtained from the interviews revealed that nurses must enhance their ACP-related knowledge and communication skills and foster personal confidence in initiating ACP discussions. Furthermore, nurses must be empowered to work with other healthcare professionals. To implement the initial process of discussing ACP in clinical settings, clinical guidelines should be developed for healthcare professionals on initiating ACP. These measures may facilitate improved collaboration in healthcare settings and further encourage patients and their families to participate in shared decision-making that may help patients complete advance directives and thereby achieve better care quality at the end of life.

關鍵字

advance care planning ； advance directives ； chronic kidney disease ； nephrology nurses

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