Continuous Commitment: Long-Term Care RNs' Experience Communicating With Residents and Their Families About End-of-Life Care Preferences

RNs lead care planning in long-term-care (LTC), yet there are knowledge gaps regarding their communication with residents and families about end-of-life (EOL) care preferences. A sample of 10 LTC RNs were virtually interviewed to describe their EOL care communication experience. Using an interpretative phenomenological framework, narrative analysis within an interpretive constructivism paradigm yielded four concepts-Being Together, Becoming Clear to Become Comfortable, Advocacy to Honor Residents, and Unique Impact on Nurses-which are all part of RNs' commitment to a continuous, dynamic EOL care communication process. Nurses commit to ongoing whole-person assessment and education, becoming proactive advocates for resident-centered, goal-concordant care. Their knowledge was experientially derived, as their nursing education did not adequately prepare them for EOL care communication or complex, multidimensional relationships with residents and families. Further research is needed to evaluate the nature and interaction and relative contribution of the components of EOL care communication in LTC. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 48(11), 29-36.].