緩和ケア病棟看護師の“呼吸困難感が生じている終末期がん患者の鎮静に向けた意向”の捉え方

We conducted a semi-structured interview with palliative care unit nurses with more than 3 years’ experience in A prefecture in the period from July to November 2022. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 nurses, using an interview guide to determine their perceptions of patients’ intentions. The responses of the nurses in the palliative care ward of perceived “intention toward sedation of terminal cancer patients” were categorized as 44 codes, 15 subcategories, and five categories including［inferring the patient’s intention from the way the patient has spent his/her daily life］, ［inferring the patient’s intention based on the patient’s last moments］, and［inferring the patient’s intention based on the patient’s last days］. The following were extracted as “intention” :［inferring the patient’s intention from what the patient has said in his/her daily life］,［taking the patient’s preparedness for death, which he/she has fulfilled as a person in the final stage of life, as the intention］,［taking alleviation of pain as the intention because the terminal stage of life cannot be cured by any means］, and［taking the best estimated and continued discussion among family and medical personnel as the patient’s intention］.