'Making sense': nurses' experiences of changing practice in caring for dying patients in New Zealand.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To explore nurses' experiences of a top-down change that involved the introduction of the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient (LCP). METHODS: Using a qualitative design, two focus groups were conducted with a total of ten nurses and five semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with senior nurse managers. FINDINGS: The nurses viewed their experience with the LCP positively, highlighting an improvement in their knowledge base regarding care of the dying. 'Making sense' was a key theme that reflected how the nurses attempted to manage the impact of the change on their own practice and on the nursing team. CONCLUSION: Organisations need to invest skilled manpower, time, and resources into supporting nurses in their transitions. The benefits of such investment are an increased likelihood of implementing evidence-based care and sustained practice and organisational change. For patients and their families and friends this investment will result in tangible improvements in the delivery of treatment and care at a time in their lives when they are most vulnerable.