Acceptance Process Model of Patients’ Life with Terminally Ill in Home Hospice and Development of a Narrative Approach for Nurses

Abstract

The prime aim of this study was to find a psychological process model of patients with terminally ill in home hospice investigating the contents of a narrative, and the secondary aim was to create a narrative approach program for nurses. Ten patients narrated their thinking or feelings along with some prepared questions in two sessions. Patients’ narrative data were categorized by a qualitative analysis and 34 categories were chosen. They perceived good points in home hospice like “Being able to spend time freely”, “Close relationships with care staffs and strong confidence”, though they perceived trouble points like “Suffering from putting burden on the people around me” or “Worries about economic problems”. They perceived psychological changes through illness like “Having peace of mind and becoming kind” “Desire for a natural death”. Moreover they perceived their life like “Acceptance of one’s life including illness” “My life lived with satisfaction”. They regarded as important things such as “Spending life time usefully” “Feelings of my family members and of those around me”, and as hopes “Hope to leave my living proof” “Living left time to the fullest”. From these categories, we propose an acceptance model of patients’ life and a narrative program for nurses.