Palliative Care Masterclass for Nurses in Central-Eastern Europe: An International Collaboration.

Given the increased need for palliative care services globally, the education of nurses has become paramount. In response, a group of nurses from Romania and the United States developed diverse nursing educational programs to meet the palliative care educational needs of nurses in Central-Eastern European countries. The purpose of this article is to describe a palliative nursing masterclass that was offered virtually to 59 participants, primarily nurses but also other health care professionals, from 11 Central-Eastern European countries.

Enhancing end-of-life care with dignity: characterizing hospice nursing in Romania.

AIMS: The purpose of this research was to characterize the nursing actions practiced by Romanian nurses affiliated with Hospices of Hope that promote dignified dying and explore needs to promote a more dignified death. METHODS: A survey method used the International Classification for Nursing Practice dignified dying survey. A convenience sample of 43 hospice nurses responded. Descriptive statistics, t-tests and content analysis were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Characteristics that promoted dignified dying included the use of a formal, iterative process of assessment, interventions that supported pain and symptom management, and spiritual comfort at the end of life. Participants described family-centered hospice care that integrated Christian orthodox tradition that transformed patients as death approached. CONCLUSION: Dignity for terminally ill Romanian will be enhanced as the nurses implement these interventions. Awareness of cultural and spiritual differences concerning end of life will facilitate dialogue among nurse scientists.