• Hung-Lan Wu and Deborah L Volker.
• Nursing Department, Meiho Institute of Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan. whlangks@gmail.com
• Oncol Nurs Forum. 2009 Sep 1; 36 (5): 578-84.

Purpose/ObjectivesTo explore and describe the experiences of Taiwanese nurses who care for dying patients in hospices, a relatively recent healthcare option in Taiwan.Research ApproachQualitative, hermeneutic, phenomenologic approach.SettingSix hospices in central and southern Taiwan.Participants14 Taiwanese hospice nurses.Methodologic ApproachInterviews were audiotaped and analyzed with Colaizzi's guidelines.Main Research VariablesCaregiving experiences of Taiwanese hospice nurses.FindingsFour main themes emerged from the analysis: entering the hospice specialty, managing everyday work, living with the challenges, and reaping the rewards. Three subthemes of managing everyday work were providing holistic, meaningful care through close relationships; confronting and managing negative beliefs about hospice; and managing the dying process.ConclusionsThe fundamental structure of the caregiving experiences of Taiwanese hospice nurses is a dynamic, multidimensional process that evolved over time. The hospice nurses demonstrated how they achieved balance in their daily nursing practice within the Taiwanese cultural context.InterpretationImproved end-of-life education for the Taiwanese public, nurses, and other healthcare professionals that includes hospice concepts is needed. Administrators should provide adequate support to encourage and empower their nursing staff in hospice settings.

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