Oncology nursing forum
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Oncology nursing forum · Jul 1993
Managing cancer pain at home: the decisions and ethical conflicts of patients, family caregivers, and homecare nurses.
The purpose of this paper is to present findings from an exploratory, descriptive study that investigated the experience of managing pain in the home from the perspectives of the patient, the primary family caregiver, and the homecare nurse. In particular, the decisions and ethical conflicts encountered by members of 10 patient-caregiver-nurse triads were studied. ⋯ Subjects also identified other areas that created conflict, such as spiritual/theological issues, when to tell the truth, and interpersonal relationships. Findings illustrate the importance of understanding the beliefs and values that influence individuals' decisions and conflicts, because discrepant perceptions of the pain experience among patients, caregivers, and nurses can interfere with satisfactory management of pain.