title: The nature of suffering and the goals of nursing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the nature of suffering and the goals of nursing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data sources informing this work included descriptions of suffering as derived from the literature; narrative data from patients, family caregivers, and nurses; and personal and professional experiences of the authors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Previous descriptions of suffering from seminal sources are insufficient to elucidate suffering from a nursing perspective. This article is parallel to Cassell's description in 1982 of the nature of suffering and the goals of medicine. Nurses play a fundamental role in caring for those who suffer. Suffering is associated with loss, intense emotions, spiritual distress, and inability to express those experiences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 10 basic tenets of suffering describe its nature and the goals of nursing; they include listening, intimate care of the body, and presence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oncology nurses witness suffering in their daily work. This article is intended to acknowledge suffering experienced in oncology nursing and to stimulate future research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Research and Education at City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, CA, USA. bferrell@coh.org,
authors.forename: Betty R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Ferrell
authors.forename: Nessa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Coyle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology* / Q000451:nursing*