Nurses’ experiences of ethical challenges concerning thirst in dying patients in specialist palliative care: a qualitative study

To describe nurses’ experiences of ethical challenges in relation to thirst in terminally ill patients in specialist palliative care units.

A qualitative, reflexive thematic design with an inductive analysis was used.

Eighteen qualitative interviews with nurses working in six different specialist palliative care units in different hospitals in Sweden were conducted. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed with a reflexive thematic analysis.

This study identified four themes that reflect ethical challenges experienced by nurses in the palliative care regarding thirst: Harmful infusions interfere with peaceful dying; conflict between tradition and personal experience; What is the right intervention to quench thirst? and; Lack of standard procedures, competence and interest among team members.

Palliative care nurses experience a number ethical challenges in relation to thirst in dying patients. The main challenge is the provision of fluids to dying patients via artificial infusions, which nurses struggle with, as they do not want to interfere with a peaceful dying process.