2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
The emotional labor of nurses who care for terminally ill cancer patients in Japan
| Project/Area Number |
14572218
|
|---|
| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
|
| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
|---|
| Section | 一般 |
|---|
| Research Field |
基礎・地域看護学
|
|---|
| Research Institution | The University of Shiga Prefecture (2003-2004)
Shiga University of Medical Science (2002) |
|---|
Principal Investigator |
TOYODA Kumiko The University of Shiga Prefecture, School of Human Nursing, Professor, 人間看護学部, 教授 (30252505)
|
|---|
| Project Period (FY) |
2002 – 2004
|
| Keywords | Emotioanl labour / Nurse / Terminally ill cancer patients / Care / Japanese culture |
|---|
| Research Abstract |
The field observation and interviews were conducted with Japanese nurses who cared for terminally ill cancer patients in a general ward and a palliative care ward. It was found that nurses in both settings had emotional rules that they had to understand and feel empathy for the feelings of patients, and feel sorry for their death. Nurses could get the different feelings depending on whether patients were told the truth ; however, it was also revealed that nurses in both settings did not want to get used to patients' death, and wondered why when they could not feel sorry for patents' death. It was presumed from the findings that nurses who cared for dying patients were likely to feel powerless, angry and regret, and that they could get burn out as the care they provided was hard to be evaluated.
In Australia as well, nurses have the emotional rules that they need to feel empathy for dying patients. But patients are usually told the truth, participate in their decision making process, and discuss their treatment options openly with health care professionals including nurses and doctors. Moreover, the staff support each other when someone in a palliative care team gets distress, and they can also utilize counseling services if needed. It is presumed that these situations mentioned above may be one of the reasons why there are differences between Japanese and Australian nurses' emotional labor.
It is required to educate nursing students regarding nurses' emotional labor and its meaning, and make support and education systems for nurses who care for dying patients, in order to prevent their distress and burn out.
|
