End of life may be a lonely experience, say healthcare professionals

Commentary on: Hanna JR, McConnell T, Harrison C, Patynowska KA, Finucane AM, Hudson B, Paradine S, McCullagh A, Reid J. ‘There’s something about admitting that you are lonely’—prevalence, impact and solutions to loneliness in terminal illness: an explanatory sequential multi-methods study. Palliat Med. 2022 Sep 8:2692163221122269. doi: 10.1177/02692163221122269. Epub ahead of print. Implications for nursing and research Loneliness is experienced by those who are dying, and by their carers. This needs to be acknowledged, accepted and school and academic institutions need to prepare nursing staff to ease the last days of the dying. Research and academia need to contribute their share to diminish the stigma associated with loneliness, especially for the dying. Context The study, by Hannah et al, highlights an important issue that dying people and their carers must face: the loneliness that many experience when their days are numbered. The study addressed...

Source: Evidence-Based Nursing - March 21, 2023 Category: Nursing Authors: Rokach, A. Tags: Commentary Source Type: research