Nurse Practitioners' Perceptions of Their Academic Preparation, Philosophy, and Strategies in Working with the Terminally Ill Patient.

This study sought to identify from the literature the type of preparation nurse practitioners receive and the practices they use in the care of terminally ill patients as well as to determine from a study of five practitioners in rural health clinics in Mississippi their perception of their training, their philosophy, and the strategies they use with the terminally ill. The literature review found acknowledgement of the importance of training for nurses in this area but also that research on the effectiveness of death education has not been conclusive. Five rural Mississippi practitioners answered a questionnaire designed for the study in an interview setting. Three of the five subjects interviewed reported that they were comfortable in working with terminally ill patients. Three of the five also reported that their academic backgrounds prepared them for work with the terminally ill though only one reported taking a course that directly addressed death and dying. All five subjects were able to articulate a philosophy for working with the dying that correlated with nurse practitioner roles. The practitioners reported using the following strategies in work with the dying: counseling, collaboration with other caregivers, referrals, listening, talking, being available, and prescribing appropriate treatments. (Contains 62 references.) (Author/JB)