A NARRATIVE REVIEW OF STRESS MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AMONG END-OF-LIFE CARE NURSES

Abstract

Palliative and end-of-life care nurses face even greater stress than other healthcare professionals, due to the sensitive nature of their work, including the condition of their patients and the establishing of a more personal relationship with them. The coronavirus pandemic, together with crises in healthcare systems, especially public ones, has put them at an even higher risk, as social, environmental and professional issues play a role in the amount of stress they are faced with, which in turn leads to burnout, mental and quality of life problems, and consequently, poorer professional performance. In this study, a qualitative narrative inquiry design was adopted, using the PRISMA framework to incorporate 43 studies sourced from PubMed, to identify a range of positive and negative coping mechanisms utilised by nurses for stress management. Both types of coping are self-reinforcing, having a cumulative effect. It was concluded that the development and improvement of strong, preferably public, healthcare systems, which provide good working conditions and facilitate social support networks and room for self-development, are crucial both for the encouragement of positive coping mechanisms, and the discouragement of negative ones.