An Exploration of the Nursing Diagnosis Terminal Syndrome

Abstract

As a result of the limitations of a single nursing diagnosis, NANDA has encouraged the development of “syndromes.” A study was undertaken using an investigator-developed tool to identify the cluster of defining characteristics, nursing diagnoses and nursing interventions for terminally ill patients, regardless of disease origin. The sample consisted of completed medical records of 15 randomly selected chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients and 15 randomly selected cancer patients. For all three areas there were commonalities, specifically 10 defining characteristics, seven nursing diagnosis and a 27%–48% agreement on the nursing interventions selected. A clustering of data has been documented to support the establishment of the nursing diagnosis, terminal syndrome.

Keywords

Nursing diagnoses nursing syndromes terminal syndrome

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Adams

(1993). An exploratory study of terminal syndrome Unpublished thesis, Old Dominion University, Norfork, VA.

Carpenito

(1993). Nursing diagnosis: Application to clinical practice (5th ed). Philadelphia: Lippincott.

Carroll-Johnson

(Ed.) (1991). Classification of nursing diagnosis: Proceedings of the ninth national conference. Philadelphia: Lippincott.

Caswell

Omery

(1990). The dying patient in the critical care setting: Making the critical difference. AACN Clinical Issues in Critical Care Nursing, 1, 178–186.

Cowley

(1990). Who qualifies for terminal care Nursing Times, 86 (22). 29–31.

Davies

Oberle

(1990). Dimensions of the supportive role of the nurse in the palliative care. Oncology Nursing Forum, 12, 87–94.

Davis

Cowley

Ryland

(1996). The effects of terminal illness on patients and their carers. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 23, 1512–1520.

Eakes

(1990). Grief reduction in hospice nurses: An exploration of effective methods. Nursing and Health Care, 11, 243–248.

Field

(1989). Emotional involvement with the dying in a coronary care unit. Nursing Times 85 (13), 46–48.

10.

Fleming

Scanlon

DAgostino

(1987). A study of the comfort needs of patients with advanced cancer. Cancer Nursing, 10, 237–243.

11.

Gagne

Robichaud-Ekstrand

(1995). Nursing interventions for the dying patient. Cancer Nursing, 91, 47–51.

12.

Gooch

(1988). Dying in the ward. Nursing Times 84 (21), 38–39.

13.

Gooding

Sloan

Gagnon

(1994). Important nurse caring behaviors: Perceptions of oncology patients and nurses. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 25, 65–76.

14.

Higginson

(1993). Palliative care: A review of past changes and future trends. Journal of Public Health Medicine, 15, 3–8.

15.

Hockley

(1989). Caring for the dying in acute hospitals. Nursing Times 85 (39), 47–50.

16.

Hockley

Dunlop

Davies

(1988). Survey of distressing symptoms in dying patients and their families in hospital and the response to a symptom control team. British Medical Journal, 296, 1715–1717.

17.

Knight

Elfenbein

(1994). Relationship of death education to the anxiety, fear and meaning associated with death. Death Study, 17, 411–425.

18.

Miaskowski

Garofallou

(1986). Study of nursing diagnoses in an oncologic patient population. In Hurley

(Ed.), Classification of nursing diagnosis: Proceedings of the sixth conference (pp. 465–468). St. Louis: Mosby.

19.

ONeill

(1989). Services for the dying. Nursing Times 85 (9), 36–37.

20.

Saunders

Baines

(1983). Living with dying: The management of terminal disease. New York: Oxford University Press.

21.

Wachtel

Allen-Masterson

Reuben

Goldberg

Moi

(1988). The end-stage cancer patient: Terminal common pathwav. The Hospice Journal, 4, 43–80.

22.

Walsh

(1991). An overview of palliative care in cancer and AIDS. Oncology, 5, 7–11.