TITLE:
Nurses’ Experiences of Using the Liverpool Care Pathway Plan in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure in the End-of-Life Stage: A Qualitative Content Analysis
AUTHORS:
Randi Hove, Nina Fålun, Bengt Fridlund
KEYWORDS:
End-of-Life Care, Heart Failure, Nursing, Palliative Care, Qualitative Method
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.6 No.8,
August
24,
2016
ABSTRACT: Background: The introduction of care pathway plans for end-of-life cares such as the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) reveals a unique possibility for inter professional collaboration. Knowledge of symptom relief and how to meet the patients’ needs at the last stage of the palliative phase are essential for the nurses’ approach and care actions, but the documentation of such implementations is still rare and sometimes criticized. Aim: To explore and describe nurses’ experiences of using the LCP plan with patients hospitalized with heart failure at the end-of-life stage. An explorative design was applied, using qualitative content analysis of 20 interviews with nurses practicing the LCP plan in two district hospitals in Norway. Results: The nurses found the LCP plan as quality assurance for treatment and care in patients with heart failure in the last hours and days of life. The use of the LCP plan implied: 1) individualized adjustment, 2) symptom relief and 3) a holistic approach. Conclusion: Nurses experienced that using the LCP plan as a comprehensive action plan contributed in the decision making process and improved inter professional communication. Using the LCP plan should be seen as a tool to practice individualized and holistic nursing to patients at the end-of-life and their families, as well as a purposeful relief of symptoms associated with heart failure.