Survey Examines Burnout of Nurses Caring for Actively Dying Care Recipients

A new survey conducted as part of the 2015-2016 University HealthSystem Consortium/American Association of Colleges of Nursing Nurse Residency Program assessed the effects of a meditation intervention on staff perception of stress, reports Oncology Nursing News . Participants included 34 staffers from the medical oncology and gynecologic oncology units, including registered nurses, nurse educators, and care associates. They were initially asked questions to identify their perception of stress at work and related to actively dying recipient care, years of experience, and coping mechanisms for work-related stress. None of the four participating care associates perceived caring for actively dying persons as a stressful event, so no change was observed in the assessment of stress after guided imagery. Further consideration into differences in nursing and support staff stress levels is justified and monitoring of turnover post-intervention is being undertaken. A standardized tool to assess stress and perception of burnout, as well as a roster of standardized definitions of words and phrases frequently used in the survey and discussion would help provide a tangible reference for participants. For example, nurses and nursing support staff define "actively dying" person differently. Whereas one nurse might use that term to define the majority of care recipients on the medical oncology or gynecologic oncology units, another might consider only a person with agonal breathing or "comfort measures only" code status to be actively dying.