Pediatric Nursing Commons^™

Nurses' Perceptions Of Barriers To Pediatric Patient Advocacy In End-Of-Life Care, Layla J. Eaton

Honors College

Nurses responsible for caring for pediatric patients during end-of-life care find themselves in any number of ethical dilemmas as they attempt to balance providing care, educating family and patients spanning a large developmental spectrum, working collaboratively with extensive medical teams, ensuring proper therapy and bereavement services for parents and siblings, as well as advocating for the voices of their patients who do not yet have legal authority to make decisions regarding their care. These issues are multifaceted and require considerations from multiple disciplines if proper assessment of potential barriers to patient advocacy is desired. This thesis explored the barriers perceived …