This research is a part of a study the purpose of which is to compare grief expression by emergency department nurses working with adults with the expression of grief by emergency department nurses working with children. This research includes a theoretical framework for the study, a literature review, and a statement of research assumptions.
The nursing theories of Joyce Travelbee and Jean Watson the basis for the theoretical framework for the study. Those aspects of the two sets of theory applicable to grief response are discussed.
Travelbee (1966, pp. 5 6) viewed nursing as an interpersonal process wherein the nurse, among other things, helps patients and their families to cope with the experiences of illness and suffering. Within this context, the two faceted task of the nurse was perceived to be to become aware of how he or she perceived the patient, and to become aware of the extent to which he or she recognized the uniqueness of the patient as an individual (Travelbee, 1966, p. 139).
Travelbee (1966, p. 55) held that "the quality of nursing care given any patient is determined by the nurse's beliefs about illness, suffering, and death." Such beliefs, according to Travelbee (1966, p. 66) are influenced by the culture of which one is a part. Travelbee (1966, p. 57) observed that in an activity oriented society such as is found in the United States
there is a tendency to believe that all problems including illness and suffering can be solved or at least ameliorated. One of the problems confronting the nurse, Travelbee (1966, p. 57) is "that not all of life's problems can be solved." When problems cannot be solved, individuals experience suffering (Travelbee, 1966, p. 69).
Suffering, according to Travelbee (1966, p. 70), is an experience that "varies in intensity, duration, and depth." The suffering experience ranges "from simple transitory mental, physical, and spiritual discomfort to extreme anguish, an...