Palliative Care in Intensive Care Units: Nurses' Perspectives on Challenges and Strategies.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The integration of palliative care into intensive care units is increasingly recognised as essential to ensuring quality end-of-life care, yet persistent barriers continue to challenge its implementation. Nurses, as continuous bedside providers, are central to delivering comfort, but their perspectives remain underexplored in the Portuguese context.

Aim

To explore the challenges and strategies identified by intensive care nurses in the provision of palliative care, guided by Kolcaba's Comfort Theory.

Study design

A qualitative descriptive design was adopted. Data were collected through a broader questionnaire on palliative care that included two open-ended questions. Written responses were analysed using Bardin's content analysis, with interpretation inform

SUBMITTER: da Cunha DFA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12715749 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature