Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at exploring the real-world self-care experiences and challenges encountered by hospice nurses caring for terminally ill patients at general hospitals in mainland China. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 hospice care nurses at 10 general hospitals in China from June 2022 to February 2023. Using Colaizzi's seven-step method, we analyzed and distilled the data into key themes. RESULTS: Three themes were identified: 1) benefits of self-care (personal growth and self-worth affirmation); 2) effective self-care strategies (physical health management, psychological resilience building, support resource mobilisation, and gaining spiritual consolation); and 3) challenges in self-care (professional development-related challenges and work environment-related challenges). The participants consisted of 14 women and 1 man, with the nurses having a maximum of 5 years of hospice experience. Despite efforts to balance participant numbers from different levels of hospital-based hospice care units, more hospice nurses from provincial tertiary general hospitals were recruited. This imbalance may limit the generalizability of the findings to other health care settings. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the importance and benefits of self-care for hospice nurses. Implementing effective self-care strategies can strengthen hospice nurses' well-being and psychological resilience, expand their access to support resources, and ultimately improve the quality of care. Health care institutions and hospice providers should prioritize understanding and promotion of self-care practices among hospice nurses.