title: Peer-supported storytelling for grieving pediatric oncology nurses.
abstract: Telling stories about deceased patients to supportive peers is frequently mentioned as an activity used for meaning-making in anecdotal reports of clinical practice and the literature addressing nurses' experiences caring for dying children. This study examines peer-supported storytelling for grieving pediatric oncology nurses using a mixed methods single-group descriptive repeated measures design. Participants were 6 registered nurses from a tertiary care pediatric hospital inpatient oncology unit who self-identified as experiencing grief. Participants met in self-selected dyads for 2 storytelling sessions. Questionnaires were completed at baseline, midpoint, and study end. Sessions were audio-recorded. Participants reported (1) receiving and providing support during sessions; (2) that sessions had an impact on their grief; (3) that sessions had an impact on their meaning-making, and the explicit session focus on making sense of and identifying benefit in their experiences was particularly helpful. There was a significant positive correlation between participant report of number of special patient deaths during career and impact of sessions on grief.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, University of Washington School of Nursing, Seattle, Washington, USA. cfmacph@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Catherine Fiona
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Macpherson
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001293:Attitude to Death; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D033262:Narration; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D016272:Occupational Health; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D010379:Peer Group; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*