Recognising and alleviating unbearable suffering in residents living in Swiss nursing homes: a grounded theory study on nursing staff's perspectives on sedating medications and palliative sedation

BMC Palliat Care. 2025 Oct 27;24(1):272. doi: 10.1186/s12904-025-01912-1.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: At the end of life, patients frequently experience distressing symptoms. When they become refractory, sedating medications and palliative sedation (PS) may be used to alleviate suffering. PS is mainly practised in specialist settings, as it requires defined procedures and guidelines. Little is known, however, about how registered nurses (RNs) and healthcare assistants (HCAs) manage refractory symptoms and unbearable suffering in nursing homes and how sedating medications are used in this non-specialist setting. This study explored how RNs and HCAs in Swiss nursing homes recognise, assess, and alleviate unbearable suffering, the challenges they…
Origen: Recognising and alleviating unbearable suffering in residents living in Swiss nursing homes: a grounded theory study on nursing staff's perspectives on sedating medications and palliative sedation – PubMed